Two Roads Diverge in Yellow
by AresWinchester
Summary: Naruto Uzuamaki is a young, Genin with aspirations to become the strongest ninja alive. This story is about the challenges he will face along the way, and how he must make choices that ultimately change the future has he knows it, as will as the past that SHOULD have occurred. Will his meddling in the past be for the best, or will it all come crashing down? (MinatoxNaruto)
1. It Begins

**Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto. All of the mentioned characters are owned by Hisashi Kishimoto. That being said, I do own the plot, and cookies so everyone can have one! *throws cookies***

This is the beginning.

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Naruto Uzumaki is a young boy. He has hair so blonde, it is as if it's composed of the purest sun rays. His eyes are home of the deepest azure pigments that can be found in an iris. He is short in stature, but that is due to his ripe, young age of 13. Like many his age, he sports a few layers of baby fat that give his face a rounded appearance, adorned with faint whisker-like marks.

For those who have met this young man, they would all say that he was genuine beyond belief. Outspoken was nothing more than an understatement. Naive, yet expressive are two traits that would describe Naruto during his life's path.

Though these are all interesting traits of the one and only, unpredictable, knuckle-head ninja, the most interesting fact that one could learn about him is that he is a ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. A wonderful village established several centuries in the past by the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju, and his partner Madara Uchiha.

Many events have occurred since Konoha's founding, both good, and bad. To date, Konoha is the largest, and most powerful of the hidden villages. Its military capabilities practically unrivaled, yet also understated in the name of peace. Its leader, a renowned shinobi dubbed the "God of Shinobi," was the one and only Hiruzen Sarutobi. Amongst his people, Sarutobi was a well decorated leader of his village, a father, but also an adoptive grandfather of sorts. Though, even with all of the talent in the world, nothing could have prepared Konoha for the destruction that it faced 13 years ago, at the time of Naruto's birth.

Thirteen years ago, the Village Hidden in the Leaves was attacked by a fox with nine tails, called the Kyuubi no Kitsune. At the time, Naruto's mother and father, were the victims of a series of unfortunate events that led to both of their deaths, and the sealing of the vicious fox within an infant Naruto.

Many today remember that day with utter bitterness, and hatred aimed at the source of all of the death, and carnage that took place. One could also say that all of those ill feelings, are aimed at the jinchuriki, or container, of the Kyuubi: Naruto. Though he wakes up every day with the hopes that the people of his village won't meet him with pure disgust, and hate, Naruto is constantly faced with an entire village that blames HIM for the events of the past, instead of the actual culprit. Does Naruto know that his body is the home of one of the most powerful creatures in existence? No, he is not. After the aftermath of the attack on the village, and the death of the villages Yondiame Hokage, Hiruzen Sartobi stepped up to take the position of the Hokage once again. His first act was to pass a law stating that it was illegal for anyone within Konoha to inform Naruto of his heritage as the single legacy of Minato Namikaze, and Kushina Uzumaki, but also that he was a jinchuriki.

To date, Naruto exists in a world of ignorance induced by the fear that he would lose control of the fox sealed within him, and ideal that should it become common knowledge that he was the legacy of the Fourth Hokage, it might prompt his fathers enemies to plot against him. In the eyes of Hiruzen Sarutobi, this was the best path that he could set for Naruto. Especially since the expected life span for ninja is incredibly short. Though, Hiruzen's relationship with Naruto goes deeper than just simply being his Hokage.

As Naruto grew throughout the years, one person, and one person only was uncommonly kind to him. That was the Third Hokage, or as he had dubbed him, "Jiji." He did what he could to watch over Naruto, even though there were events that led to Naruto receiving his own apartment, as well as his own pension so that he could live somewhat comfortably.

The beginning of this story starts as we see Naruto graduating from the Ninja Academy, and finally becoming a Genin. He is now one step closer to fulfilling his dream of becoming the Hokage of Konoha, and gaining the respect of all those who had treated him poorly, beat him, or spewed nasty names at him. The road of the ninja is never an easy one. Will Naruto be able to fulfill his dream, or will certain factors come into play that alter not only his view on the world, but also the events of the entire future/past?

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 **Authors Note- Hello everyone! This is my first story, as I am just breaking into writing. Hope you enjoy, and please feel free to give feedback! I love being able to improve my skills, so don't feel hesitant about pointing out mistakes. Review please!**


	2. A Day In The Life

**Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters. If only...XD**

Naruto- " Regular Text"

Naruto Thinking-" _Italics_ "

Naruto awoke a few days after he, and his team had returned from their first C-turned-A rank mission that assigned them as escorts for a man traveling to the Land of Waves. He still got a rush off of what happened during that mission. " I still cannot believe that Haku was a boy," Naruto murmured sleepily as he was still attempting to wake up. " _I never would have thought that someone who was supposed to be my enemy, could act so….friendly_ ," Naruto thought as he finally decided to get out of bed. Team 7 wasn't supposed to meet today, so Naruto decided that he was going to train today. " _Haku. You were so dedicated to Zabuza. Even if it meant getting yourself killed to protect him_ ," Naruto began to feel his heart swell with admiration, and respect.

He knew that, had the roles been reversed, he would have done the same thing. Naruto remembered seeing Haku's lifeless body resting on the ground. " You shouldn't have died man," Naruto ground out as he felt himself begin to tear up. " Damn it!" he lashed out as he wiped his eyes, and glanced at his clock. He quickly noted that he had been lost in his thoughts for 25 minutes, and finally decided to get out of bed.

Exiting his bedroom, Naruto glanced at his apartment and shook his head. " _What a damn mess_ ," he thought as he kicked aside clothing, and empty ramen cups. " I really need to clean this place up," Naruto noted before continuing on. As Naruto slugged his way into his kitchen, he placed a tea kettle on the burner, and ignited the stove in a morning routine that he had adopted years ago. With his limited pension, Naruto had to be careful with how he spent it, as to avoid starving to death. " Ugh hurry up! I want my morning ramen," Naruto said as if he expected his words to cause the water to miraculously start to boil, " Finally!" he stated with blatant irritation. Once the water began to boil, Naruto prepared the ramen, and rasped out " Itadakimasu!" in his usual recognizable pitch, and chowed down excitedly. Once he had his fill, Naruto spent another half hour trying to find his ninja gear due to it being lost in the seemingly endless amount of clutter. Dressed in his usual gaudy orange jumpsuit, he dashed off to one of the currency unused training fields.

Racing over the rooftops of the village that he loved, Naruto began to feel a slight ache in his stomach right in the area where he had discovered his seal not too long ago. He stopped on a random rooftop, and pulled up his orange jacket, and looked at his seal. "What?" Naruto whispered as he moved his hand over his seal. As his fingertips rubbed across his abdomen, he suddenly felt an intense pain as if he were being burned. A moment had barely passed before the pain faded away suddenly " _Hmm. That's weird. Oh well, it's probably nothing_ ," he thought as he continued to leap along the rooftops on his way to the training grounds.

Once he arrived at his destination, Naruto took in the scenery before immediately beginning his rigorous training exercises that Kakashi-sensei had shown him. Naruto leaped, and twisted with bird like agility throughout the training field as he threw his kunai as his desired targets. He anxiously watched as he saw three of the five kunai met their targets with that soothing "thunk!" sound. Growling lowly, he picked up the two kunai that missed their mark. " Ugh! I have got to get better if I ever want to become the Hokage," he stated with a hint of melancholy. Naruto moved back to his original position, and attempted to execute the same arial maneuver that he had been practicing, and once again missed two targets. Stomping his foot in irritation, Naruto swung his hand down to pick up the infernal kunai that seemed to be hell bent on not meeting their mark. " Why do I keep missing? This is a simple exercise!" he yelled out to the air.

Naruto began walking back to where he would start his training once more. Again he was met with failure, and with an irritated huff, he admitted defeat. " Ugh, fine! I will just try again tomorrow, and this time, I will definitely succeed!" Naruto exclaimed with a renewed sense of determination. Leaving the training grounds behind, Naruto began his way back to the village getting lost in his thoughts along the way. Wrapping his hands behind his head, Naruto finally passed through the large gates of Konoha.

" Hey Genma!" Naruto greeted with a two finger salute. " Aa, Naruto," Genma replied with a nod of his head. Naruto chuckled as he noticed that Genma was replacing his trademark senbon that he chewed on. Moving past the gates, Naruto began to gaze around the village. Full of shops, and traders, Konoha was thriving beyond belief. People shuffling about on the ground, and ninja taking to the rooftops were common sights in the village. Naruto felt a sense of pride swelling in his chest. " _I am a ninja of the strongest of the hidden villages, and I want to become stronger so that I can protect my village_ ," Naruto thought as he continued on his way home.

Just as he took the first of many turns to get to his apartment complex, Naruto was startled to see someone who he had yet to see out and about unless if was for official business. " Maa, Naruto you look like you have been training," a familiar voice drawled in a lazy tone. " Kakashi-sensei! It's good to see you, but what are you doing here?" Naruto asked excitedly. A single, lazy, grey eye studied Naruto for a moment before he replied while maintaining his relaxed posture. " Ah, I was waiting for you actually," Kakashi said in a leisurely manner. " I was wondering how you were doing after your first tough mission? A lot went down, and Sasuke, Sakura, and yourself got a taste of just how dangerous being a shinobi can be. I just wanted to make sure you didn't need to talk to anyone." Kakashi stated in a more serious tone.

Naruto was not expecting his sensei to approach him, much less be concerned for his mental, and emotional wellbeing. Due to Naruto being slightly stunned, Kakashi remained patiently silent, and waiting for Naruto to gather his words. " _I guess I haven't thought much about it_ ," Naruto thought to himself. " _The entire team came really close to being killed. We almost lost Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei was in a bind for while before we released him. Things could have definitely ended up much worse_." Naruto thought as his mind began to swirl with the possible outcomes of that mission.

Kakashi observed his little blonde Genin, and watched as his usual bright, and expressive face turned dark, and solemn. " _He must be realizing that we all could have very well died on that mission_ " Kakashi thought to himself. Seeing that Naruto wasn't immediately rebounding back to his happy nature, Kakashi decided to make Naruto an offer that he would't refuse. " Maa Naruto, how about we go to Ichiraku's and get something to eat for dinner? I'm actually pretty hungry. My treat," Kakashi stated with an eye smile that was as infamous as his Sharingan. Naruto's head immediately snapped to attention, as a bright set of pearly white teeth met Kakashi's singular eye. " Really, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked as he nearly burst with excitement. Kakashi chuckled, and ruffled his students spiky blonde hair.

Naruto slurped the broth of his ninth bowl of ramen, and finished with a light slam of the bowl to the table. " _I should have known better than to offer ramen as my treat_ ," Kakashi thought sadly as he watched his wallet size decrease dramatically after paying his students bill. Glancing at Naruto out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi noted that Naruto seemed to be in much better spirits than he was after he had mentioned Zabuza's, and Haku's deaths. " _This is how he should be_ ," Kakashi thought as he smirked under his signature mask. Then a thought came to Kakashi's mind, and he could not help but to interrogate his little student a tad. " Maa Naruto, I know you were a bit confused about Haku's gender revelation, but I am curious. Did you still find him attractive after you found out that he was a boy?" Kakashi drawled out in his usual lax manner.

Naruto's rambunctious actions immediately stalled to a halt. Turning his head to look at his sensei who had just asked him an outrageous question, Naruto cleared his throat before answering. " Aww Kakashi-sensei, why did you have to go and ask that?" Naruto shouted while wrapping his hands around his head in a bashful manner. Kakashi watched with amusement as the scene unfolded before him. Naruto began to shift nervously in his bar seat, and wouldn't look his sensei in the eye. " Well? Come on Naruto, I don't mean anything by it. I am just curious as your sensei, that's all. It is my job to know the members of my team," Kakashi stated as if it were a well known fact. Naruto began to blush heavily before facing his sensei. " Well, I-I guess so..." Naruto stated rather nervously. Kakashi's eye widened at the young teens confession, and decided to pry even further. " Maa Naruto, it's ok. You don't have to be nervous," Kakashi stated calmly.

Naruto was rather...uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation. Not only was his sensei being unusually loquacious, but now he was asking questions relating to who he found attractive. " _Gah! I cannot believe this is happening!_ " Naruto thought as began to calm himself. " _This isn't anything to nervous about, so why am I getting so worked up?"_ Naruto told himself. Looking boldly into his sensei's eyes, Naruto lifted his chin and replied to his sensei. " Uhh Kakashi-sensei, I think that I still found Haku attractive even after I found out that he was a boy. There isn't a problem with that right?" Naruto asked his sensei as he watched the calculating gaze the man with the grey hair shot him. " _He is worried that I won't approve? Hmm, he must really try to please those around him,"_ Kakashi thought as he began to formulate his response. " Naruto, who you like, be it boy or girl, doesn't matter to me. I am just curious because you seemed so shocked when you found out that Haku was a boy. I couldn't help but wonder if it was because you were disappointed," Kakashi cut off, leaving the question apparent, yet understated. Naruto visibly relaxed at Kakashi's revelation. Though he quickly furrowed his brow as a question dawned on his mind. " _Is this Kakashi-sensei's sneaky, and underhanded way of asking me if I am into guys?"_ Naruto asked himself while trying to avoid his sensei's prying eyes. " _I mean I still think that Sakura-chan is pretty, but before Haku, I hadn't really ever recognized another guy as...attractive before,"_ Naruto thought as he continued to ponder the question that his sensei had left for him.

Seeing that Naruto seemed to be lost in thought, Kakashi accepted that he would just have to approach the topic again some other time. " Maa, don't worry about it Naruto. You seem to be caught up in something else, and I have to go anyway. Im glad to hear that you aren't too shaken up about the turn of events during our last mission," Kakashi said as he tried to bring the conversation full circle. Naruto look up at his sensei with adoration. " Yeah, don't worry Kakashi-sensei! I want to be the strongest ninja ever one day, and I know that being a ninja means having a close relationship with death." Naruto said with a toothy grin.

After thanking Kakashi for dinner, Naruto began his journey home. After years of abuse from the villagers as a child, Naruto chose to take the rooftops so that he could both get home quicker, and avoid the civilians that lingered on the ground. Once he at the front door of his apartment, Naruto went through the process of unlocking the door, removing his shoes, and preparing for bed. " _I think I would enjoy a shower_ ," Naruto thought as he made his way to the bathroom. Stepping out of his sweaty jumpsuit that was in need of a much needed wash, Naruto set the water temperature and stepped into the shower to cleanse his body. While he scrubbed away the evidence of his daily activities, Naruto reflected on his interaction with his sensei. " _It was really nice for Kakashi sensei to treat me to dinner. I don't get to spend a lot of one-on-one time with him,"_ Naruto thought as he felt the steam of the shower ease away his tension.

Once he decided he was clean, Naruto stepped out of the shower, towel dried his body and hair, and pulled on a fresh pair of boxers. Stepping out of his humid bathroom, Naruto made his way to his bedroom where he collapsed dramatically on the bed. " Even though I still struggle with Kakashi-sensei's exercises, I know that I will get them eventually," Naruto whispered to himself. Pleased with the days events, Naruto slowly but surely drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

Little did he know that when he woke up, his world would change forever.

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 **Authors Note- Hey guys! So here is chapter two of Two Roads Diverge in Yellow! Yay! Haha I hope you guys are getting nice and situated because things are about to get quite hectic! Feel free to review, and PM me if you want to discuss the story, or even if it's just for a nice chat! The next chapter introduces Kyuubi, and from here on out, the chapters will increase in length! See you soon!**


	3. Nightmares and Daydreams

**Disclaimer- I still do not own Naruto. If I did, things would have happened a lot differently...OH well! Anyone want a cookie?**

Narration, and Speaking- " Regular Text"

Thoughts- " _Italics"_

Kyuubi speaking- " **Bold Text"**

When Naruto finally awoke, he found that he was once again surrounded by murky darkness. " Where am I?" he managed before sitting up, and taking in the scene around him. "Woah!" he exclaimed as he noted that he seemed to be in a sewer of sorts. Glancing at his sides, Naruto noted the walls seemed to be made of a stained concrete. Taking a closer look, it was almost as if the walls were discolored a sickly greenish hue. Placing his hand down, it was then that he noticed that he was not resting on solid ground, but rather he seemed to be floating on water. He jumped as he was startled, and prepared to fall into the water forcing him to swim. After waiting a few moments, Naruto opened his eyes and murmured " Why aren't I sinking?" Thoroughly confused, Naruto finally stood up, and turned in a circle to make note of his surroundings. " Hmm there aren't any openings," he said to himself as he saw that there were only two directions he could go.

Just as he was about to walk down one path, Naruto heard a deafening roar coming from the opposite direction. Out of reflex, Naruto bent his knees to steady himself because the raw power that roar radiated was enough to shake the tunnel. " What was that?" Naruto exclaimed in wonder as he turned wide-eyed, and looked in the other direction. Against his better judgment, Naruto decided to check out what had caused the noise. " This is a good chance to practice my reconnaissance!" he thought to himself excitedly. Turning away from his original path, Naruto began walking towards the origin of that bone chilling roar.

" _Whatever made that roar must have been huge_ ," Naruto thought to himself. So many thoughts racked his brain at that exact moment. " _Why am I here? Where am I? How do I get back to Konoha?"_ Naruto asked himself trying to get a grip on the situation. Sticking with his decision to discover the source of the roar, Naruto continued down the seemingly endless tunnel. Naruto observed that the entire place seemed bleak. Though there was no light source, the tunnel seemed to glow eerily as the sight illuminated the dank encasing of the tunnel. After walking what seemed like forever, Naruto finally heard what sounded like the exhalation of a rather large animal. Sensing danger was near, Naruto opened his kunai pouch, and wrapped his tan fingers around one of the deadly knives, and held it close. Walking for another few minutes, the sound of something breathing increased in intensity. The ghastly whisper of breath leaving a body hit Naruto's sensitive ears, and he increased his alertness. Naruto finally came out of the tunnel into an opening that seemed to be vast. Looking around the room, Naruto's jaw dropped at the sight before him. " Oh my…" he whispered to himself as he tried to process what he was seeing. That room was completely empty save for what seemed to be a huge metal gate, with bars thicker than a carriage. The gates were shut, and Naruto had to squint, and move closer to make out that that white fleck against the silvery radiance of the metal was a slip of paper with what looked like an intricate drawing. Moving closer, Naruto gawked at the impressive structure before him, until his eyes landed on an image that would have stopped the bravest of souls. What lied behind the metal structure was nothing more than the largest animal that Naruto had ever seen.

With fur the color of crimson, talons the size of horses, and nine tails that had wrapped around the stagnant body, Naruto recognized that the creature that was trapped was a fox. " Gah!" Naruto shouted in surprise as the realization hit him that this was the Kyuubi no Kitsune. " _This is the demon that wrecked the village 13 years ago_!" Naruto deduced as he tried to swallow the immense fear building within him. Then, as Naruto's eye's finally set on the closed eyelids of the fox, the creatures steady huffs seemed to falter.

Against his better judgement, Naruto moved closer, before stopping five feet in front of the cage. Naruto tried to process what was in front of him, but was only shocked to see that the fox was beginning to stir! That is when everything went to shit. Naruto steadied himself once more as the creature started to become more mobile. Rising up on its two front paws, the fox began to stretch, before a flicker of recognition passed through the fox's senses, and he opened his eyes to drink in the sight before him. Azure eyes met eyes the color of spilt blood, and Naruto remained on guard while the fox seemed to study him with interest, and irritation.

The fox then crouched to be somewhat level with Naruto as he released his most intimidating growl. Low, and deep the growl was filled with pure, palpable hatred. The hair on Naruto's arms,and neck stood on end. A shiver of terror pulsated through his body, but he remained steady. Trying to steady his shaking voice, Naruto finally decided to speak to the fox. Raising a shaking, yet accusing finger Naruto pointed at the fox while yelling " You're the fox that nearly destroyed the Hidden Leaf Village! What are you doing here? Where am I?" Only receiving another fear inducing growl, Naruto dropped the accusing hand, and continued to stare down the fox.

For a moment Naruto had given up on receiving a response, until the fox began to shift. Moving to sit on its hind legs, the fox rose to full sitting length before letting out a much awaited answer. With a similar tone of rolling boulders, the fox spoke. " **So, we finally meet human. I was wondering when you would finally make if to my dwelling,"** ground out the fox. Naruto's face, flushed with confusion, met to respond to the fox. " What do you mean you were 'wondering' when you would meet me? Where are we?" Naruto retaliated to the fox.

The Kyuubi raised a curious eyebrow at Naruto's response. The fox hissed in irritation before glaring at Naruto. " **Watch it boy!** " the fox spat. " **I am the Kyuubi no KItsune, the Nine Tailed Fox. You are nothing more than a weak, two legged, chattering monkey. You will speak to me with respect, or I will strip the meat from your bones, and walk the earth once more!"** the fox spat. Naruto quivered with fear. He faintly noticed a bead of sweat traveling down the nape of his neck.

Adjusting his collar, Naruto centered himself before replying " Gomen, Kyuubi. I only wish to return to Konoha, yet I have no idea where I am, or how I got here." The fox seemed to study Naruto with a hateful eye. Naruto knew the look in the crimson eyes that met his. " _He must hate me just like the villagers do!_ " Naruto thought to himself with a slight cringe. Naruto opened his mouth to speak again before the fox began to speak once more. " **I see your intelligence matches your strength-typically nonexistent."** the fox retorted. Naruto glared at the fox before the fox decided to speak once more. " **This infernal place is your mindscape, human. The marking that you are familiar with on your stomach is only a symbol of the seal. This is the actual manifestation of the seal,** " the fox drawled out obviously bored with his current company. " You mean, this is what sealing a beast really means?" Naruto questioned in an intrigued manner. The fox only rolled his eyes before letting an annoyed " **Obviously…."** before falling silent once more.

Curiosity getting the best of Naruto, he closed the gap between himself, and the metal bars that housed the fox. Running a tan hand over the metal, Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he felt chakra in the bars. Thrumming with energy, the bars seemed to resonate with Naruto's touch, creating a slight vibration. Naruto, fascinated by the feeling under his hand didn't notice that the fox moving to strike the cage that had keep him hostage for over a decade. His claws hit the cage, raking across the bars and creating a display of sparks. " Gah!" Naruto bit out, surprised at the fox's actions. Once again Naruto braced himself as his mindscape began to rumble once more, shaking with the immense power of the fox's strike. After the tremors ceased, Naruto faced the fox and screamed " What the hell, you stupid fox! You could have hit me!" Naruto was met with the sound of what seemed like grinding boulders. The gravelly sounds awakening the most primal forms of fear within his body. The fox continued to make this horrifying sound until Naruto realized that the fox was laughing!

" **Haha! You humans are so weak, and fragile. It's a shame that I have reduced to sharing a body with a weakling like you!** " the fox snarled. Naruto shifted slightly before finally understanding that the fox before him was insulting him. Balling his fists, Naruto glared back at the fox. " You are one to talk you overgrown fur ball! If you were so mighty, then how come you were sealed in an infant? You're not so strong," Naruto retorted with his usual overbearing loudness. Everything stilled for a minute, before Naruto was able to detect the sheer power of what felt like killing intent. Wave after wave of paralyzing fear traversed throughout his body causing the hairs on his arms, and neck to stand alert.

His body recognizing the danger, Naruto began to clench with anticipation. Adrenaline pumping through his system, Naruto began to shake with absolute horror as he fought desperately to control his fight-or-flight response.

Before Naruto could grasp what was happening, the fox lashed out at Naruto. Realizing that the Kyuubi was able to reach through the bars, Naruto braced himself as he saw a crimson fists coming his way. " **You will pay for that, you fucking insignificant flea!** " the fox roared as he made to flatten the boy in front of him. As the Kyuubi's fist made contact with the dank floor of Naruto's mindscape, he sensed that he had missed his target. Watching as the fox lifted his drenched fist off of the ground, he saw that Naruto was nowhere to be found.

" **Hmph! You got away this time, brat. Next time you won't be so lucky!** " the fox whispered to himself. Finding that this entire endeavor had been nothing but a bore, the fox proceeded to lay down and wrap his massive worm-like tails around his lean body. Falling into a deep sleep, gentle, yet powerful snores echoed throughout the mindscape.

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Naruto shot up in his bed, gasping for air. Drenched in sweat, Naruto smeared his palms across his face in an attempt to remove some of the salty liquid being excreted from his pores. " What he hell was that?" Naruto asked the open room as if waiting for a response. " _Was that a nightmare?_ " Naruto asked himself as he finally felt his heart begin to calm down. Getting out of his bed, Naruto made his way to the bathroom so that he could rinse the sweat off of his face, and chest. The bed made a noise of protest as Naruto shifted his weight to the side of the bed. Throwing off the drenched covers, Naruto rested his elbows on his knee, and buried his face into his hands. Sensing residual traces of primal fear, Naruto took several breaths to calm his wrecked nerves. " _It was just a wild dream,"_ Naruto thought to himself. " _Even so, why am I so scared?"_ he asked as yet another wave of fear traveled throughout his veins.

After finally making it to the bathroom, Naruto stripped out of his dripping wet clothing. Setting the water temperature was fairly easy sense he didn't really take the time to set it to his preferred temperature like usual. Instead, Naruto turned the temperature nob in preference to the hot water, hoping that the heat would help cleanse himself of this sheen of fear, and sweat. Stepping into the near scalding rain, Naruto hung his head as he felt his body release a lot of the built up tension. Running his bony fingers through his golden locks, Naruto felt the peace beginning to return to him as the water streamed down his face, and body. " That fox seemed so real..." Naruto murmured to himself as he raised his head to meet the burning water. Oddly, the near scalding sensation did not make him flinch in pain, but rather continue to ease back into a sense of security.

Placing a dollop of shampoo into his palm, Naruto began strip his body of the evidence of the nightmare. Scrubbing in a slight circular pattern, he felt himself relax into his own administrations. Rinsing the sudsy substance from his hair, Naruto stretched out a tan arm to pick up a worn wash rag. Once he placed some body soap into the middle of the rag, Naruto ran the rag down his chiseled chest while rubbing away the impurities. As he reached his navel, Naruto gasped in surprise. " Huh?" Naruto questioned. As he ran the rag over where his seal should be, the skin seemed to be burning to the touch! Resting both of his palms on his lower abdomen, Naruto focused his chakra and watched suspiciously as his seal appeared. Giving it a quick once-over, Naruto mainly focused on the hypnotic swirl located in the center. Seeing that everything seemed to be fine, or what he thought was fine because he had no knowledge about sealing, Naruto allowed the seal to fade away; not noticing that the outer markings of the eight trigrams were fading into nothingness.

After returning from the bathroom, Naruto dragged his feet to his dresser where he put on a fresh, and dry pair of boxers with little green frogs checkering the fabric. Sliding the soft material on, Naruto yawned before once more crawling into bed. " Hopefully I can get some decent rest before tomorrow," Naruto murmured to himself referring to the team training session that his sensei had planned. Excited to practice his ninjutsu, Naruto once more succumbed to the murky blackness of sleep.

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" **You will pay, you hairless rat,** " Kyuubi whispered to himself. Finally coming face to face with his container only reinforced his calculations that concluded that the seal was near its breaking point. The fox thought back to the day when he was reduced to a mere shell of his former power. Minato had really dampened his power that day by sealing half of himself within him, only for it to die with the blonde Hokage. The Kyuubi raised his upper lip in a sinister sneer. " **Minato you fool. If you think you have done that boy, and your village a service, you are sorely mistaken,** " the crimson animal hissed. " **What's even better is that this time, there isn't anyone who can stop me,** " Kyuubi whispered to himself. Pleased with the turn of events, the beast closed its calculating eyes.

Wrapping himself with his numerous tails, Kyuubi fell into a deep slumber while dreaming of various ways to torture his blonde container. Hundreds of ideas floated through the Kyuubi's mind before his eyes shot open in realization. " **That monkey won't know what to do until it's too late...** " the Kyuubi thought to himself. Settling down once more, the fox prepared to rest once more.

Raspy cycles of endless inhalation, and exhalation permeated the depressing sewer like cage for what seemed like hours. When dawn came, all that Naruto knew would soon fall into disorder.

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 **Authors Note- So here you go guys. Chapter three is up and running. I hope you guys are enjoying the ride so far, because it is about to get a lot bumpier! Hang tight! Oh! Please remember to review, and give me feedback. I love connecting with my readers, and it would be much appreciated.**


	4. The Past and My Demons

**Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto, unfortunately….*sighs*. That is okay though! I can still make my dreams come true with this story! Hehehe.**

Naruto & Narration- " Regular Text"

Thoughts-" _Italics"_

Kyuubi-" **Bold Text"**

* * *

Naruto awoke just as the sun began to peak over the horizon. The soft morning glow accenting his facial structure, as well as drawing attention to his bronzed skin. Sitting up, Naruto pushed his warm comforter aside before bringing his closed fists to his face to rub away the eye crust that had accumulated during his sleep. Yawning, Naruto turned his head to gaze out of the window located to the side of his bed. " Another cloudless day!" Naruto exclaimed in sheer excitement. " _Today I really need to work on some chakra exercises, because Kakashi-sensei said that I still don't have very good control. Even for a Genin_ ," he thought as he moved to swing his legs out of bed before standing up and stretching until he heard a series of satisfying " Pop" sounds emanating from his joints and spine.

Moving to his bathroom, Naruto started his morning hygiene routine. Splashing his round face with water, Naruto washed away any residual eye crust that he couldn't mange to rub off, or dare he even say it, some dried drool as well. Wetting his hands, Naruto then ran his tan fingers through his hair in a failed attempt at trying to control his spiky golden locks that seemed to defy gravity. Giving up on his hair, Naruto dried his face and proceeded to head to the kitchen for his favorite part of the day. " Ramen, ramen, ramen," Naruto chanted as he once again prepared his usual morning breakfast.

" _Today Team 7 is supposed to meet at the training grounds and train with each other while Kakashi-sensei is completing his mission_ ," Naruto inquired as he finished slurping the left over broth. Naruto thought about what he could do to help refine his chakra control and only came up with a few options. " I would practice tree walking, and water walking…." Naruto murmured to himself while resting his chin on his closed fist in open contemplation. " Oh I know!" he stated in his determined loudness. " I could practice chakra control by sparring with Teme, and Sakura with he help of shadow clones!" he continued as he got even more excited. Pleased with his revelation, Naruto placed his ramen cup into the trash, and tossed his chopsticks into the sink in a hurried manner so that he could start getting ready to meet his team.

Running to his room, Naruto began collecting what he would need for training with his team. Pulling on a grey mesh undershirt, he began to scour his room trying to find his usual jumpsuit. "Ugh! Where did I put that thing?" Naruto rasped irately. Searching through various mounds of clothes both dirty, and clean, something caught Naruto's eye as he searched frantically around his room. " Aha!" he said as he spotted the very noticeable, bright orange coloring that was partially hidden under a smaller pile of reeking clothing. " _Phew, it's definitely time to do laundry tonight_ ," he thought as he made a mental note.

Pulling on the orange jacket, Naruto began yet another search for his training weapons that would become essential if he was going to spar today. Clipping on the standard grey sack that contained his kunai, and shuriken around his thigh, Naruto patted down his body to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. " _Kunai? Check. Shuriken? Check. Hitai-ate_?" Naruto thought as he went through the list in his head. As his hands reached his forehead, he found that it was bare. " Huh?" he said surprised. Turning to his bedside table, Naruto visibly relaxed to the sight of his headband sitting there in a heap. Walking over to the table, he made quick work of tying the headband around his head. Feeling prepared, Naruto stepped out of his front door, and locked it before whipping around and launching himself to the rooftops.

* * *

While leaping from rooftop, to rooftop, Naruto had lots of time to observe the endeavors of the villagers beneath him. The artisans were up early like usual, ready to start a hard days work of preparing their wears for sale. Naruto gave a slight tight lipped smile at the sight of a group of children playing with a ball in an alley illuminated with the light of the golden morning rays. Continuing on his way, it wasn't too long before a full head of pink locks caught his eye. Recognizing the back of the head of one of his teammates, Naruto dropped from a nearby rooftop with a high spirited " Ohayo! Sakura-chan!" " Ahh!" Sakura screamed in utter surprise. Naruto only chucked before a familiar fist collided with his skull with the sound of the corresponding " _thwap_!" Naruto groaned while he felt the baseball size knot begin to swell.

"Naruto!" Sakura screeched. " You should know better than to sneak up on someone. Especially a lady!" she continued in a haughty tone. Glaring at Naruto, Sakura threw her hands on her hips, and continue her tirade about sneaking up on her. " Aa, Sakura-chan, I didn't mean to frighten you. I just happened to be traveling on the rooftops, and saw you walking down here. I thought we could walk to the training grounds together" Naruto said as he waved his hands in an innocent gesture. Sakura only huffed with annoyance, before continuing on her path to the training grounds. Taking this as a means of silent, yet reluctant acceptance, Naruto ran to catch up with his teammate. " _I didn't hear a no!_ " he thought to himself excitedly.

* * *

" _This is exhausting work!_ " Naruto thought to himself as he felt a few more of his signature clones being dispelled, before summoning a few more. " Come on dobe, that can't be all you got if you want to be hokage one day. At this rate you'll never make it!" Sasuke, Naruto's prodigy of a teammate, drawled with an arrogant smirk. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had been sparring for a couple of hours now, and every time one of his teammates would dispel one of his clones, Naruto would summon another in hopes that it would help him with his chakra control. " Shut it teme! I will be the greatest Hokage that ever lived!" Naruto shouted with extra vigor to accentuate the point.

"Hn, as if," Sasuke retorted in a snide manner. With this, Naruto charged head on at Sasuke, and they engaged in another round of taijutsu. Naruto knew that he was outmatched, but he figured that anything could be overcome with enough drive, and lets face it. He had more than plenty of that. Throwing a punch that was narrowly avoided, Naruto immediately went on the defensive for what was to come. As anticipated, Sasuke was relentless. As expected, a hard punch connected with Naruto's sternum, quickly followed by a kick to the stomach. Coming in rapid succession, Naruto was unable to block the blows.

Taking hit, after hit, Naruto quickly discovered that he couldn't keep blocking forever. Sasuke noted that Naruto had ceased his attacks, which only confirmed his theory that Naruto was weak in taijutsu. Knowing this, Sasuke decided to go on a full offensive.

Naruto's eyes widened as a glimmer of understanding flashed in Sasuke's eyes. Sensing the immediate threat, Naruto decided to fall back and rethink his strategy. Giving a particularly hard push to Sasuke's chest, both males decided to disengage from each other. Landing across the way from Naruto, Sasuke gave him a near predatory glare. Naruto hardened at the look that Sasuke was giving him. " _Damn it! How do I beat him?_ " Naruto asked himself. " _I can't beat him at taijutsu, and he is better ninjutsu than I am_ ," Naruto continued. Then a thought occurred to Naruto. Standing up fully, Naruto leveled his eyes back on Sasuke before speaking. " You know Sasuke, just because you have some flashy moves, doesn't mean that you will be able to _destroy_ that certain someone you rarely talk about. I mean, if you are so obsessed with getting stronger, I can only guess that you were too weak to stop whoever it was that pissed in your cheerio's!" Naruto said with a condescending tone, while laughing for effect.

The result was immediate. It was as if there was a freak weather change and the atmosphere around the two Genin dropped dramatically in temperature. Naruto gulped in anticipation. He knew the kind of effect that his words would have on his teammate, and he realized too late that he had made the worst mistake of his life, up to date. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Naruto thought he heard Sakura scream.

Before his eyes could even begin to follow what had happened, Naruto felt a fist impact his jaw with bone crushing power, effectively breaking his jaw. Focusing his eyes on his opponents face, Naruto saw that the teen that was attacking him was no longer his teammate, not longer Sasuke. This was the monster that Sasuke was striving to be. The perfect killer. The strikes kept coming. Sasuke made to straddle Naruto, coming down on his chest so hard that Naruto felt several ribs break. Sasuke only continued to sneer at his means of effectively preventing Naruto form getting up and defending himself. Barely remaining conscious, Naruto gathered the last of his strength in a final attempt to break free from his assailant. Swinging his arm with all his might, Naruto's fist connected with Sasuke's lower jaw. For a moment, he thought that had been enough. He was wrong.

Sasuke moved his hand to where he still felt the remnants of Naruto's touch. Glancing down at the one who struck him, Sasuke could only stare in shock. Naruto, the number one, unpredictable, nuckle-head ninja, was reduced to a bloody pulp writhing in the dirt. There was something… fulfilling with the sight before him. Ever since the night of the massacre, Sasuke has lived for one thing, and only thing only. To seek vengeance on the person who left him alone. Oddly enough, if he tried hard enough, Sasuke could almost see the familiar face staring back at him instead of the face of his teammate.

Naruto was practically unaware of anything else other than the pain that wracked his body. Trying to focus only proved to cause more pain. It seemed like forever had passed before he started to register strange sounds coming from somewhere. It took a minute, but Naruto finally realized that the husky pulsating sounds that he was hearing were the echoes of Sasuke's maniacal laughter, mixed with the panicked screams Sakura was creating.

" Naruto, you are a _fool!_ " Sasuke hissed out almost out of breath from his cackling. Naruto then felt a weight being lifted off of his body. Though his face was swollen, Naruto managed to open a heavy eyelid to gaze at the sight before him. Sasuke stood before him, studying him with a watchful eye. That is not shocked him, though. As Sasuke towered over Naruto, what shocked him was that the signature red glow, and toma's were visible in Sasuke's eyes. It dawned on Naruto in that moment that Sasuke was no longer here in the present. No, he was battling the man that took everything from him not a couple years ago.

" Sasuke! You have got to stop!" Sakura screamed. Running up to Naruto, Sakura checked over his wounds only to find that Naruto had sustained severe internal injuries, and was beyond the capabilities of the First Aid that had been taught at the Academy. In the back of Sakura's mind, she registered that she no longer sensed Sasuke's presence. Deciding that there was no other choice, Sakura placed her hand on Naruto's round cheek to grasp his attention. Gasping as the sensation, Naruto's only capable eye fluttered open. " Naruto, can you hear me?" Sakura questioned firmly. She only received an agonizing moan. " Naruto, your wounds are too extensive for me to heal, I am going to go get help, okay?" she said. Seeing that Naruto was teetering on the edge of consciousness, Sakura realized that if she didn't leave him now, Naruto was going to surely die. Praying for the well being of her teammate, Sakura rose and sprinted in the direction of the village.

" _What have I done?_ " Naruto thought to himself, as he felt himself gravitating toward the darkness. It was then that Naruto experienced the most agonizing pain of his life. His brutal beating not even coming close to this.

" Ahh! Ugh!" he screamed in pain as he felt as if his stomach was ripping open. " What is happening? Ahh!" he shouted in agony. Naruto writhed on his back and groaned in pain. " Why is this happening?" he spat as he ripped open his jacket to look at the origin of the pain, only to find that moving his arms left him breathless with pain. Naruto was shocked to see that the marking of his seal were slowly, but surely dissolving! " What? The seal.," he rasped before another wave of pain racked his body. Flailing in pain, and vision blurring with pain Naruto wrapped his arms around his stomach. The burning sensation traveled throughout his body as if his veins were being filled with molten lava-the burn excruciating. Naruto screamed until his voice failed him, and there was nothing but the sound of air leaving his mouth. Reaching out with a single hand, he cried " Help!" one last time before he was consumed by an inky blackness, and falling silent.

* * *

" **The time has finally come** ," a gravelly voice echoed through his consciousness. Naruto was laid out, unconscious within his mindscape due to the trauma that he had just experienced. Seeing his human container in this state only meant that he had to take this opportunity. It was now or never. Moving into a lotus position, Kyuubi placed both of his closed fists together, and closed his eyes in wicked concentration. Then red, vile chakra began to seep through the fox's body, and move to pass through the bars of the cage that had imprisoned him for 13 years too long. Just as the chakra reached those wretched bars, it began to coil, and wrap around them; traveling up the metal poles as if they were a snake constricting their prey. Kyuubi concentrated greatly to maintain this process while drawing in the natural chakra around him to store for the final stage of his plan.

As the tendrils of chakra finally reached the top of the cage Kyuubi began to focus his chakra intensely on a single area of the cage: the seal. " **Ha! Minato, you tried so valiantly to save your village on that day, only to give me the very thing I needed to bring the meaning of your sacrifice tumbling down,** " the fox ground out. " **That day, as you attempted to seal me away in this runt of a human, you lacked the requisite amount of chakra to properly seal me away. Even though somehow, you were still able to do so, your seal was not entirely fortified. As a result, I have been leaking subtle, yet concentrated streams of chakra into your kit's body for the past thirteen years, effectively weakening the seal.** As the vermillion energy swirled around the seal, the white tag began to decay at the edges. The decay continued to travel to the center of this slip until only the main black markings were left.

" **Now, I will be able to destroy your only legacy you disgusting flea. Though the seal remains strong enough to prevent me from breaking free completely, this will be more than enough,** " Kyuubi bit out while remaining completely focused. Then, just as if an invisible barrier had broken, Kyuubi was able to reach out of his cage, and cradle an unconscious blonde within his hand. The thick roped of chakra then left their positions on the bars, and shot towards Naruto with unimaginable speed.

* * *

Sakura was gasping for air as she sprinted with all her might throughout the village trying to find someone who could help her. " _I can't go to the hospital,_ " Sakura thought. She was well aware of the poor treatment that Naruto has received in the past, and didn't want to further endanger her teammate by placing him in an environment where people could easily injure him further. Deciding that the best place to go would be to the Hokage's office, Sakura took to the rooftops to expedite the trip. " _Naruto, just hang on! Help is on the way,_ " Sakura urged to herself.

The rout to the Hokage's office seemed to be never-ending until she finally saw the defining Kanji symbol for " Fire" and continued with renewed vigor fueled by panic. Then, a familiar face presented itself to Sakura as she was about to enter the compound. "Ah, Sakura! How are you this fine evening?" Iruka Umino, Team 7's former Academy teacher asked in delight. " Ah! Irkua-sensei! You have got to help. Naruto is fatally injured, and I couldn't help him!" Sakura urged. Iruka's eyes widened at the seriousness of the statement. His eyes hardening with concern, Iruka grabbed Sakura's hand and ran off to the Hokage's office. " Follow me. Quickly Sakura!" Iruka urged.

Iruka, and Sakura stopped at the sight of the closed door to the Hokage's personal office. Walking towards the closed wood, Iruka began to knock on the wood fervently. A relaxed " Enter," reached Iruka's ears, before both himself and Sakura ran into the office. Taking a quick gland around the office, Sakura was shocked to see none other than her own sensei standing to the side of the Hokage's dest, standing lackadaisically. " Hokage-sama! Something is wrong with Naruto, and he is wounded badly." Iruka nearly shouted as panic began to set it. " Iruka, calm down. Now, tell me what happened." Hiruzen ordered. Sakura was the one to speak, in the place of Iruka since she was present for the accident. " Haruno, Sakura reporting, Hokage-sama. Team 7 met this morning for routine training since Kakashi-sensei was still on his mission. The day progressed with typical taijutsu training mixed with slight ninjutsu training via the help of Naruto's shadow clones." Sakura began. Hiruzen noted in understanding, and urged her to continue.

" Then around 14:00, Naruto and Sasuke engaged in a particularly heated spar which in turn led to Naruto antagonizing Sasuke saying that even though he was showing off fancy moves, he was still too weak to take revenge on the person who left him alone, and this infuriated Sasuke," she added. Hearing this, both Hiruzen's, and Kakashi's eyes narrowed in concern, and understanding. " Sasuke relentlessly attacked Naruto, and by doing so managed to break several ribs, and his jaw; alongside compressing Naruto's chest by straddling him which resulted in a punctured lung. Before I left, I was able to diagnose severe internal hemorrhaging, a punctured lung, several broken ribs, and possibly a broken jaw. If Naruto doesn't get help now, his chances of survival are minimal at best," Sakura finally concluded.

Hiruzen was stuck between concern for the wellbeing for the orphan whom he considers his own, and concern for his village should the Kyuubi run rampant once more. Taking immediate action, Hiruzen turned to Kakashi. " Kakashi, take Sakura with you to where Naruto is located and bring him to the hospital. I will have a team waiting for you," Hiruzen ordered. He then turned to Iruka to address him. " Iruka, go to the hospital and seek out the Head Surgeon, and give them this. This is a statement from me stating that you will oversee Naruto's treatment to ensure that no one attempts any harm to the boy while treatment is underway," he concluded. Understanding their orders, Kakashi and Sakura took to the rooftops at rapid speed, and Iruka sprinted out of the Hokage's office, scroll in hand.

* * *

Vermilion chakra encased Naruto's unconscious body. Twisting, and swirling like clouds in a hurricane, and just as powerful. Kyuubi finally opened his eyes to gaze at the sight. Sensing that he was nearly able to complete his plan, Kyuubi pumped even more vile chakra toward Naruto. " **Humans have done nothing but prove their worthlessness, and lack of integrity, time and time again, and yet here I am sealed within one,** " the Kyuubi spat. " **All you have ever known is hatred, meat suit. I will ensure that you never feel and semblance of comfort again!** " the fox roared. Throwing Naruto's chakra layered body to the sopping wet ground, Kyuubi moved to stand on all four's before the bars of his cage. Moving to rest on his hind legs, crimson arms came crashing together in the air.

With a series of hand sign's, and fox focused his overwhelming chakra before roaring with all his might. " **Suffer, and die. Worthless monkey!** " Kyuubi orated. Finishing a final sign, the fox slammed his hands onto the watery ground and spat " **Spatial-Time Displacement!** " Marks seeped out of where the fox's had came crashing down, and continued to wrap around Naruto like a second skin. Naruto's mindscape trembled with the sheer power that the fox was radiating. With cracks forming within the walls of the mindscape, Kyuubi gave a gravelly laugh in success.

* * *

As Kakashi, and Sakura arrived in front of Naruto, both sensed that something was terribly wrong. Kakashi's lone eye widened at the sight before them, as Sakura gasped in shock. Naruto's body seemed to cloaked in the same vile chakra as when they were in the Land of Waves. The air in the training ground was permeated with the same sickly chakra that surrounded Naruto. Sensing immediate danger, Kakashi uncovered his left eye, and watched the scene with his famous Sharingan. What he saw amazed, and frightened him at the same time. " _There is a source of energy that is encasing Naruto's body with this immense chakra,_ " Kakashi processed.

Then, the air was seeded with silence. Kakashi continued to watch the scene with his Sharingan before a blast erupted from Naruto's body. Barely managing to jump in front of Sakura to shield her from the blast. " Get down!" he screamed and Sakura more than willingly complied. A deafening shriek drowned out any noise in the training ground. The shrieking continued until it seemed to raise in pitch slightly before a massive flash of blinding light disoriented Kakashi. With a massive crackling sound the light suddenly disappeared bringing darkness back to the training grounds. Moments after the inkiness returned, a massive shockwave of pure destructive power traveled away from where Naruto's body once lied; throwing Kakashi, and Sakura back as if they were weightless.

With Kakashi, and Sakura knocked unconscious by the shockwave, silence settled back into the training grounds. The ground were Naruto's body once rested was now a massive crater, and the ground in, and around it was scorched to ashes.

Kakashi was the first to awake, and he did so while maintaining the utmost secrecy in the event that an enemy was still lingering. Sensing nothing, Kakashi moved to check Sakura, and glance at his surroundings. Extending his senses, Kakashi was morbidly shocked to sense absolutely _nothing_! Fear setting in, Kakashi continued to scan the area only for his eyes to settle on the massive crater that was still smoldering. " _Naruto,_ " Kakashi thought to himself in wonder. " _What happened here?_ "

 **Author's Note!- Hello guys! So this is the longest chapter that I have written, and for the record, I would like to increase my word count per chapter to about 3.5k so just fyi. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I certainly did. SHOUTOUT to my first reviewer Christine! Thank you doll, and you guys should go check out her work because it's amazing! Her tag is SasuxNaruYamixYugi. Again, thank you all for the views, and pleas review and send me your thoughts because I would love to make my writing better with the help of your ideas! Thanks guys!**


	5. Panic

**Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto, nor do I have anymore cookies so I guess I am just a broke ass bitch. *sigh's in defeat* Oh well…..**

Naruto and Narration-" Regular Text"

Thoughts-" _Italics"_

Kyuubi-" **Bold Text"**

The night was a typical one in the Land of Fire. The cloudless sky was packed with endless glimmering stars, and a moon that seemed to engulf the Earth in its opal light. The air was crisp, and filled with a natural silence as the creatures of the day were fast asleep. Then, with a deafening " _CRACK,_ " the stillness of the night was interrupted by a massive flash, only for the light to disappear just as quickly as it had come. The event left little evidence of its occurrence, but what it did leave was something that seemed odd. As if out of place. There, laying in the center of a scorched circular patch of grass, laid Naruto. He remained unconscious for the time being, but it was not long until spells of consciousness began to make their presence known.

Hot. That was all that Naruto felt, as his body seared with immense pain, as well as boiling heat. Though that is how he felt, Naruto had yet to manage to stay conscious for more than a few minutes at a time. " _Ughh, what happened?_ " Naruto asked himself. Trying to open his eyes for the first time since he blacked out, Naruto barely managed a weak squint of the area around him. During his brief glance, he only managed to capture the image of treetops, and a stunning moon before his vision blurred once more, and he fell into the familiar blackness.

* * *

This cycle of staying in between half-consciousness, and total unconsciousness continued for what felt like forever. Naruto would struggle immensely simply to open a mere eye lid, to see the same sight, just to pass out from how strenuous the action was in his current state. Naruto was aware of the fact that it was slowly becoming harder, and harder to breathe. It was is if his lungs were filling with something foreign. The problem was that Naruto lacked the strength to do anything other than lay on the scorched ground, and slowly die.

Naruto understood that his chakra coils, and pathways were shot. His own chakra so low, it was barely present at all, and thus, he didn't have access to his enhanced ninja senses. During a particularly vivid spell of blackness, Naruto curiously felt the strange sensation of moving. It reminded him of those dreams that people had when they were falling in a dream. It was intense, and lifelike. " _Is that…..blonde hair?_ " he asked himself as he gathered his remaining strength to open his only barely working eye. As the strange floating sensation continued, Naruto fell back into unconsciousness, only this time he stayed there. Not waking no matter how intense the odd falling sensation got.

" Quick, I need help!" a voice called out to the darkness. " _Huh?_ " Naruto grumbled in slight awareness. " Put him on the table-" Naruto thought it was odd as he continued to hear voices after he was pretty sure that he was not hearing his voice. " _Kami…..what's going on?_ " he thought to himself as the voices emanating from the inky blackness seemed to blur together into incomprehensible sounds. Naruto registered the faint ghosting of fingers across his body. Poking and prodding persisted, even though he wanted it to stop. Not that he could do much about it. He simply didn't have the strength.

The odd feeling of hands on his body continued for what seemed like hours, but Naruto remained unconscious. His body was taxed to its limits, and Naruto knew it. " _Actually, I am surprised I am still alive…_ " he thought to himself. Naruto wasn't a fool. Dense maybe, but no fool. He was well aware that with the injuries he had…..sustained, along with his extreme chakra depletion, he should not have survived his ordeal. He decided it must be due to his incredible durability that he seemed to have been born with, that had kept him alive until now. " _It is still coming for me though. It's only a matter of time,_ " he thought. He quickly realized that he would never become Hokage, or get the people of Konoha to respect him, and he bristled internally. " _No…_ " he sobbed to himself. He stayed like this, suddenly remembering all of the things that he would never be able to do, never be able to accomplish.

"Beep…..beep…..beep," Naruto heard through the darkness. He propped up his tear stained face only to see the familiar blackness; the sound echoing throughout it like ripples in a pool. " _What is that?"_ he asked himself. The sound continued, and Naruto remained very confused until a light began to peek through the darkness. The light seemed to grow until Naruto was forced to squint at the intensity of the luminescence. The light only continued to grow despite Naruto's protests, and finally it enveloped him in a cloak of pure white light.

Naruto's eyes shot open but his vision remained bathed with the incredibly intense light. Somewhere around him he heard someone shout. " He's awake!" they said in a focused manner. Slowly, Naruto's vision began to return, and refocus. It started with a ceiling. Containing several light fixtures, and a paneled appearance, Naruto still saw nothing but various lighter and darker colors similar to white. He tried to tip his head to the side, but found that his head seemed to be restrained by something encasing his neck.

Blurs of people passed in, and out of Naruto's direct line of sight. None of the faces, stayed with him as a deep seated panic began to fill his being. " _White clothing. That incessant beeping, and people that seem to be working on my body? No!_ " Naruto thought as he began to try and move his arms, only to find that they seemed to be restrained as well. This only confirmed his suspicion as to where he was. " _I'm in a-a-a hospital!_ " Naruto thought in a frenzy. Naruto heard voiced trying to talk to him, but he didn't understand anything other than the fear that settled in his body.

Naruto began to thrash about, trying to get out of the restraints. His back arching, Naruto pulled with as much strength as he could muster against the leather straps that kept his hands tied to a table. Images began to flash in his mind. Images he never wanted to see again.

* * *

* _Beginning of Flashback*_

 _Naruto was seven years old, when he was admitted to the Konoha Hospital for the first time. As he was walking home one night from the Academy, a group of villagers surrounded him. " You really are a freak! Demon brat!" they spat at him. " I am NOT!" Naruto screamed in response. Sensing the rising danger, Naruto tried to run through the group of people only for them to grab him, and throw him to the ground._

 _Naruto's body shook with pain that came along with the impact of the stony ground. Naruto refused to stay down though. His small arms shook with the effort that it took to raise his torso off the ground. Naruto was about to make his way to his feet before a powerful closed fist made contact with the side of his face. The hits didn't stop there either. Suddenly, his small frame was taking hits all over his body. A kick to his stomach, a punch to he back. His attackers were relentless. " This is for killing my DAUGHTER," a voice screamed before Naruto was struck with what he thought must have been pole of sorts. Naruto just curled into a fetal position, and tried to protect his head. After continuing to receive kicks to his back, Naruto spat up blood that painted his lips, and the ground below._

 _"_ _Naruto!" he heard someone yell. Then suddenly, the attacks just stopped. Still holding his trembling, bruised body Naruto shot open a single eye to see someone whom he was glad was there. " Iruka-s-sensei…" Naruto rasped out, as he was out of breath, and couldn't seem to catch it. " Naruto, are you okay?" Iruka asked, but the sight before him was more than enough of an answer. " Naruto hold on okay? I am going to take you to the hospital," Iruka said in a calming tone. Naruto actually though that he might be okay. He was wrong._

 _Once Iruka had brought Naruto to the hospital, and the nurses had gotten him situated in a room, Naruto was laid out on an examination table while waiting for the doctor to see him. Iruka stood by the bedside, quietly holding Naruto's limp hand, and trying not to cry. Naruto's breathing was ragged, and slow. The heart monitor's beeping signaled that Naruto's heart was weak, but remaining steady for now._

 _"_ _Iruka-sensei, hello. My name is Inyo Tazanaki, and I am the Chief Physician for the Trauma ward," the man that appeared in the room said. Iruka nodded in comprehension, and cleared his throat before speaking. " Tazanaki-san, I was walking towards Naruto's house to ask him if he wanted to get ramen when I discovered a group of villagers circled around Naruto, and they were beating him severely. They ran off when I approached, but by then Naruto had already taken a beating. Can you help him?" Iruka asked the doctor who nodded at the information he had been given. Iruka had an unsteady feeling though. Tazanaki-san seemed to have a glint of amusement in his eye, and that set Iruka on edge. " Understood. Iruka-san, I need to examine the extent of the…. boy's injuries, so if you could please wait outside in the waiting area, you will be notified on Naruto's condition when I am finished,"Tazanaki stated rather abruptly. Though feeling apprehensive, Iruka complied. Stepping out of the room, he closed the door only for him to wait right outside rather than go all the way back to the Waiting Room._

 _Naruto was still in a hazy form of consciousness, and he didn't understand much of what was going on around him. " I am in the hospital…" Naruto thought to himself. He briefly remembered that Iruka-sensei had saved him from the group of men that had attacked him. Other than that, he had become familiar with the deep ebony world that consumed him for the time being._

 _"_ _Hmmm," Tazanaki hummed to the empty air as he observed the boy that was laying on his examination table. Then, as if a trigger had been pulled, memories of the Kyuubi's attack sprung forth from his memory. Blood, death, and despair filled Tazanaki's mind before sneering at the form before him. " Monster!" he spat. Tazanaki shifted over to a cabinet that held the surgical tools, and grasped the handle of a shiny scalpel. Moving back over to Naruto, Tazanaki gently ran the razor sharp over Naruto's exposed stomach, not apply enough pressure to actually cut him. " The village would be better off without you, demon" the doctor hissed in pure hatred._

 _Tazanaki moved down to where he caught a glimpse of the very seal that caged the Kyuubi within the child in front of him. Tazanaki moved to bring his hand up, shifted his hold on the scalpel so that he held it like a kunai, and violently stabbed Naruto an inch above his navel._

 _"_ _Ahhh!" Naruto screamed in agony as the pain of the act cleared the haze that clouded his consciousness. Naruto writhed in excruciating pain as Tazanaki moved back and grinned in satisfaction._

 _Hearing Naruto's pained screams, Iruka flew into the examination room to see Tazanaki looking quite smug at a bleeding Naruto. It took him a moment to realize that the scalpel that was embedded in Naruto's stomach was obviously placed there by the very same man who was supposed to be helping Naruto. Seeing red, Iruka moved swiftly to prevent any more damage from finding Naruto. Pulling out a kunai, he threw it with deadly accuracy, and speed for it to land in the spot where Tazanaki's heart was located. Slightly appeased, Iruka moved over to Naruto and placed his hand over Naruto's stomach before screaming with all his might. " HELP!" he hollered._

 _Iruka continued to scream until a nurse ran into the room with concern. He heard her gasp in fright. " Tazanaki-sama!" she shrilled in horror. She then looked over to Iruka, who locked eyes with her before speaking. " That man tried to kill Naruto, but not before torturing him, so I extended the same courtesy, minus the torture" Iruka stated in a surprisingly calm tone. The nurse's eyes widened in comprehension, and hardened in anger. Quickly she moved over to Naruto to inspect the damage that damn doctor had caused. She quickly checked Naruto over while Iruka silently scrutinized her every move, waiting for her to make an aggressive gesture towards Naruto. " Shinobi-san, unlike my foolish co-worker I am able to differentiate between the demon that caused untold damage to the village, and the helpless child that was unfortunate enough to have the beast sealed within him. I mean him no harm" she said in a collected tone.  
" By the way Shinobi-san, my name is Nikkoka," she added. Iruka said nothing as he watched her move to the cabinet across the room and pulled out disinfectant, gauze, a suture, and stitching thread. _

_The nurse quickly went to work. First applying the disinfectant across the bleeding wound. She then made quick work of the eight stitches that Naruto needed, before he finally stopped bleeding. Once she dressed the wound, she checked Naruto for any other extensive injuries that needed treatment to find no others. After applying basic antibiotic cream, and wrapping Naruto's bruises, and abrasions, Nikkoka addressed Iruka. " Shinobi-san, Naruto is free of any other extensive lift threatening injuries, but he was beaten pretty badly, and should remain overnight so we can keep an eye on him," Kikkoka said in a sturdy tone. Iruka almost let out a sigh of relaxation at the nurses words, but kept his guard up in case her apparent concern was a ploy to get him to relax._

 _"_ _Thank you Kikkoka-san, even so I will be staying with Naruto overnight to ensure his safety until he can be released tomorrow," Iruka states rather factually. Kikkoka smiled at the obvious protective tone that Iruka spoke with. " Feel free to do so shinobi-san. I doubt you would listen to me if I said that you couldn't anyway," she replied. Iruka smiled slightly at this. Seeing that Naruto was in good hands, Kikkoka made her way to the door before turning to address Iruka for a final time. " I will assign myself to Naruto's room, so if there are any complications, I will address them personally," she said. Iruka nodded at her, and turned back to a sleeping Naruto._

 _*End of Flashback*_

* * *

The panic was palpable. Naruto's heart rate exploded with vigor. Fear seemed to set into the very fibers of his exhausted muscles. He continued thrashing, and fighting against the restraints that kept him immobile. " Let me go!," he shouted. Faces he didn't recognize continued to blur around him as he was lost in a haze of his own disbelief. " Hold him down!" he heard someone say from behind him. Then in a maze of limbs, any mobility that he once had, was gone. Panicking even more, Naruto did anything that he could he try and free himself. Fighting with every last ounce of his power, Naruto forced against his restraints one last time. Naruto thought he had won when he felt his restraints start to rip, but his slight victory was short lived. " Place him on a Midazolam drip! Now!" Naruto registered. He was about to make quick work of his restraints when he started to feel his body fail him. With one last tug against the bindings, Naruto once again fell into a black inkiness.

Naruto woke up to the same sound that set him edge. That incessant " _Beep._ " He immediately remembered that he had been sedated, and tried to remain calm. Breathing deeply several times, Naruto attempted to calm himself before opening his eyes once more to take in his surroundings. What he saw was consistent with what he thought he saw earlier. " Ugh great. Hospital…" he said is near despair. The same pale instruments held the same positions as they did before, and everything seemed to be exactly where it was when he woke up the first time. It wasn't until Naruto heard shuffling on the other side of the room that he finally turned his head to the other side, and was met with a shocking sight.

Before Naruto, was a teenager that seemed to be about his age. He had very similar blonde hair, and the same piercing cerulean eyes. Naruto only stared in shock, and didn't register what the other blonde had tried to convey to him. " Huh?" he said in response to whatever the other had said. The unnamed blonde only stared before beginning again. " There are several questions that you will answer before any matter of comfort is bestowed upon you. Yesterday, around 11:45pm, the village guards picked up on a massive chakra burst outside the gates of Konoha. A team that I was a part of went to investigate, and though we were able to find the area of the burst, we could no longer find any trace of whatever caused the burst. All we managed to find actually was scorched ground, and a young pubescent boy. You," he said as he pointed at Naruto. Naruto kept staring at the man before him, somewhat at a loss of what to say. " You are still recovering from your extensive injuries, but as soon as you're mobile, which should be within another day or two, you will be escorted to the Hokage to explain your whereabouts. This is non-negotiable," the blonde stated rather abruptly.

Then saying what he had to say, the blonde turned around and left the room; leaving Naruto to ponder what exactly happened. Naruto only stared at the closed door for the next couple minutes before realizing what he was doing and turning his head to stare at the ceiling with a slight blush. " Who does he think he is?" Naruto mumbled to himself, slightly put out by the other blondes demeanor. Naruto sighed before realizing that he had never seen the blonde before, and immediately began to wonder who he was.

Naruto thought well into the day, or at least what he thought was the day since he had no way to tell exactly what time it was. Once again he succumbed to exhaustion, but this time it was natural.

 ***Authors Note*-Hello my lovelies! So it has been a…while…since I posted my last chapter, and I apologize for that. I am currently on vacation, and enjoying some much needed r &r with the bestie, who I might add, is a total twat. I plan on continuing to update fairly quickly, but I also make no promises about that. What I can promise is that I can make some good food! Crepes anyone!? XD**


	6. New Path's

**Disclaimer-Hello my fellow MinaNaru lovers! I wanted to share a couple things with you, so I am going to be pretty frank. I am going got slowly build the relationship between Minato, and Naruto. My story is going to progress like a normal relationship, which means that my readers will have to exercise some patience. Don't worry though. I wont leave you too deprived! :) OH! Almost forgot. I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.**

Narration and Speaking-" Regular Text"

Thoughts-" _Italics"_

Kyuubi-" **Bold Text** "

Naruto woke up to morning light embracing his face. He was sore, but at least his head was clearing from the sedative that they had given him earlier. After his little meeting with the unnamed blonde, Naruto seemed to not really mind being in the hospital. In fact, he came to terms with the unfortunate fact that they weren't going to let him out no matter how uncomfortable he got.

Naruto mind was still reeling over the fact that he couldn't seem to place the blonde man. No matter how hard he tried to remember, he simply could not remember ever seeing the blond before in his life. " Hmm," he thought out loud in a slight whisper, " in fact, I don't remember anyone whom I have seen so far." You could almost see the gears grinding ungracefully within his head when the sound of the door being slid open, brought his awareness back to the room.

Looking up, Naruto saw the very same blonde that he had been thinking about earlier, and his eyes widened in surprise. Then with a toothy grin Naruto greeted him. " Morning shinobi-san!" he said his cheerful rasp. The blonde stopped dead in his tracks for a moment before replying " Good morning," in a detached tone. " I have a message from the Hokage," the mysterious man said. " Due to the circumstances of your arrival paired with your seemingly incredible healing ability, your meeting with the Hokage is being move up to today. You will shower, put on these clothes," he motioned to the bundle of fabric in his hands, " and then I will take you directly to the Hokage so that you can answer his desired questions." " _Jeez, does this guy always act like there is a kunai two feet up his ass?"_ Naruto thought, mood dampened by the other blondes cold attitude.

" Do you understand?" the other blonde man asked. " Yes, perfectly," Naruto replied. While Naruto was sedated, the medics put the final touch-ups on Naruto's jaw, and his ribs. Though he could now be somewhat mobile, doing so was mildly painful. Even so, he moved to get out of the hospital bed. Sitting upright, Naruto placed his hands of each side of himself and braced himself for getting up. Exhaling in anticipation he slowly hopped off the bed, and was met with immediate tenderness in his chest, but it was bearable. Taking a couple breaths before continuing, Naruto paddled over to where the other blonde stood watching, and reached to take the new clothes from him.

Clothes in hand, Naruto looked around the room to find that there wasn't a bathroom within it so he turned expectantly to the other man before asking where he was supposed to shower. " I will escort you to the showers to make sure you don't do anything idiotic, and hurt yourself further," was the icy reply that he received. Knowing that he was already in trouble for something dumb, he decided not to engage the blonde and just followed behind him. They eventually came up to an empty bathroom, and they stepped in together. Naruto looked at the shower before turning to his escort. " Well? Aren't you going to get out? Or are you staying around for a peek at my body" Naruto accused knowing full well that it would stifle the other blonde. As expected the other man just huffed haughtily before hissing " As if!" and then left the room; leaving Naruto to cleanse himself.

* * *

Naruto went through his typical shower routine, and was out of the shower in a mere 5 minutes. Moving to step out of the shower, he quickly began to dry himself seeing as how the room was cold, and the residual water on his skin chilled dramatically. Finally dry, Naruto dressed himself in what appeared to be typical ninja attire. He was clad in pants similar to the ones that Kakashi-sensei wore, and a skin tight nave blue sleeveless top that hugged his chest. Looking at himself in the mirror that was in the room, he deemed himself presentable for the Hokage, and walked out of the room.

The man who was still unnamed was resting up against the wall outside of the bathroom, arms crossed, and head hanging down as he rested his eyes. As Naruto approached him, the blonde opened his eyes to take in the sight before him. Giving Naruto the once-over, he deemed his outfit proper meeting attire, and motioned for Naruto to follow him with a wave of his hand. Naruto simply fell beside the other man as he followed him outside of the Hospital.

Finally taking his first steps outside of the Hospital, Naruto stopped to take a couple deep breaths of the fresh air. The warmth of the sun felt nice on his whiskered cheeks after not feeling it for what felt like forever. Naruto continued to bask in the sunlight before his pleasure was dampened by the expectant sound of his escort clearing his throat. Opening his eyes, he saw that the other man had stopped a few feet away from him, and was looking at him with a frown of irritation painted on his face.

" Come on, we shouldn't waste time, and keep Hokage-sama waiting," the other man said. Naruto huffed in irritation, but complied willingly. He knew he shouldn't keep Lord Third waiting, especially since the Third was so adamant on seeing him. They continued on their way, and Naruto disliked the silence that settled around them. As means of distraction, Naruto began to look aimlessly around the village hoping to find something that would stimulate him enough to keep him entertained as they walked towards the Hokage's office. When he did, he almost couldn't believe his eyes.

Eyes widening in utter shock, Naruto's mouth stood agape at the sight that he was met with. He could have sworn that not a couple days ago, the Hokage Monument had four faces on it; not three. The man walking beside him noticed Naruto's surprise, and offered a slightly curious " What?" Naruto was still slightly salty over the way he had been treated by the other blonde so he simply replied with, " Nothing that concerns you." The tone of the remark irked the unnamed blonde, but he said nothing knowing that the younger boy wasn't worth his time.

* * *

They walked the familiar rout to the Hokage's office, and before Naruto knew it, he was standing before the closed door that led to where their destination. " Wait here," Naruto's escort said, as he moved closer to the door. After a knocking a few times, the pair was met with a raspy, and gruff voice of the Lord Third. " Come in," the voice said. Doing as they were told, the unnamed man opened the door and stepped inside and motioned for Naruto to do the same. Walking in Naruto stood in shock. " _It can't be. He looks so…young!"_ Naruto thought to himself. Sitting before him, surrounded by a mountain of paperwork was what appeared to be a younger version of none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi; or as Naruto called him, Jiji. Wooden pipe still lit from burning yet another bowl, Hiruzen studied the two men that had just walked into his office. He was quite familiar with the taller, and older of the two as he had already begun to make quite the name for himself within the village. The other, was a mystery, an enigma. Because of this, Hiruzen immediately went on guard. As the leader of Konoha, it was his job to defend the village at any, and all costs. Even if it meant disposing of a child that posed too much of a threat.

" Namikaze Minato, reporting Hokage-sama," the previously unnamed blonde man said to the oldest in the room. " _So his name is Minato! Ha!_ " Naruto thought excitedly. He had been wondering what the blond mans name was since he first saw him. Hiruzen nodded at Minato, before turning his piercing gaze to Naruto. " And just whom might you be young man?" Hiruzen asked Naruto with an inquisitive tone. Naruto was startled by the way that the Third asked the question. It wasn't as if he didn't know him. Hell, he had been a pretty consistent factor in Naruto's life no matter how short the interactions were.

" What do you mean Jiji? You know who I am!" Naruto shouted in confusion. Hiruzen's eyes widened in surprise at the boy. He was not used to someone speaking to him so casually, but he couldn't help but be slightly amused at the informal tone. The next thing he knew, Hiruzen began to chuckle. " Baka! That is the Lord Third, have some respect!" Minato spat in immense irritation. At this, Naruto flinched at the abruptness of the remark, but was about to retort sassily when the deep tone of the Lord Third's laughter quieted him immediately.

" Young man, you sure have quite the personality, don't you?" Hiruzen stated humorously. " Hehe!" Naruto just chuckled humorously slightly embarrassed by being called out. Minato could only stand where he was, slightly shocked that the Third didn't seriously reprimand the younger blonde. Hiruzen's laughter quickly died out, and a more serious expression found its place on his face. " Now on a more serious note. Young man, would you please tell me who you are, and where you came from?" the Lord Third asked.

" Old man, what are you going on about? Who else would I be other than the one, and only Naruto Uzumaki? The future Hokage of the Hidden Leaf! Also! Why is the Fourth Hokage's face missing from the Hokage Monument?" Naruto rasped out excitedly. You could almost see the fiery passion that laid in Naruto's eyes at the declaration, and that passion did not go unnoticed by Hiruzen as he processed the child's response. Naruto watched as the older man before him took on a serious contemplative look. " What? It's true Jiji, you know me!" Naruto shouted. He was quickly tiring of everyone playing games with him.

" Young man, I can assure that I have absolutely no idea who you are, nor do I understand your statement about the missing face on the Hokage Monument" Hiruzen said in a calm tone. At hearing those words, Naruto finally noticed the seriousness within the Lord Thirds eyes. There was no longer denying that sickly fact. The man that Naruto had come to think of as a role model, no longer knew who he was. The turmoil that had been slowly building within Naruto, quickly came to boil. " Young man, we will ask you one last time. Who are you, and what were you doing outside of the village?" the Hokage asked in a demanding tone.

Naruto was feeling many things. Disoriented, discombobulated, and addled were just a few of those turbid feelings. Staring directly into the Lord Third's dark eyes, Naruto's mouth opened and closed while he tried to find the right words to say. In that regard, what was he supposed to say? Ever since he woke up, Naruto had felt that something was amiss. Things felt odd, and out of place. He felt as if he were a puzzle piece that life had tried to force into a slot where he didn't belong.

Naruto's internal struggle was interrupted when he felt a hand on his right wrist. Looking down in surprise, Naruto saw that that man called Minato, had grabbed his wrist out of irritation. " You will answer the Lord Third's question, blondie!" Minato spat out. Realizing that the atmosphere had turned deadly in a matter of seconds, Naruto racked his brain trying to figure out what to do. Choosing to simply comply, Naruto opened his mouth to speak directly to the Lord Third.

" Lord Third, I apologize for seemingly evading your questions," Naruto said while bowing deeply to show his sincerity. " _I should be lucky that he had even decided to meet me personally, rather than allowing Anbu to interrogate me_ ," he thought to himself. Hiruzen nodded accepting the apology, and waved his hand to signal that Naruto should proceed. " My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I obtained Genin status not too long ago within the Hidden Leaf Village," Naruto said with faultless confidence. Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly when Naruto introduced himself, but kept quiet so he could analyze all of the information the youngest blonde was giving him.

" My Jonin sensei is Kakashi Hatake, and my other teammates are Sakura Haurno, and Sasuke Uchiha," Naruto continued. " I grew up orphaned, and therefore have no information regarding who my parents were. That being said, I saw you as family Jiji!" Naruto finally finished excitedly. Hiruzen, trying to process what he had just heard, remained silent for a few moments before Naruto began to fidget at the lack of stimulation. When the Lord Third spoke again, it was not what Naruto was expecting. " I see, but that still doesn't explain as to why you were practically on your death bed when my scouts found you. Your body had been beaten severely, and from your medical analysis, all of your serious wounds were inflicted by another ninja," Hiruzen said curiously.

At the Lord Third's words, Naruto blanched. He hadn't really had a ton of time to reflect on his battle with Sasuke. The scene began to unfold in his mind as he explained his appearance upon arrival. " My teammate and I were sparring, and as attempt to gain the upper hand I tried to unsettle him by using antagonistic tactics. This resulted in him attacking with full force, and when he managed to restrain me, he attacked without mercy," Naruto finished. Hiruzen was eerily silent the entire time, and this unsettled Naruto.

" Let me see if I got all of this right," Hiruzen started, relieving Naruto of his obvious anxiety. " You claim to be a ninja of the Hidden Leaf under the tutorship of a Jonin that I don't have any knowledge of, along with teammates that are also unregistered ninja to my current knowledge," Hiruzen started, making Naruto uneasy. " Your extensive injuries were caused by a teammate of yours in what started as a spar, and then turned into a serious battle. Is this correct?" Hiruzen finished. Naruto nodded his head in confirmation. At this Hiruzen's eyes seemed to focus in thought, and went silent once more.

" _To anyone else, everything he said would seem utterly preposterous, but… I cannot shake the feeling that this child might be telling the truth. Even so, we know practically nothing about him, and there is the possibility that he DOES pose a threat to Konoha,"_ Hiruzen thought. His mind was turbulent due to the position that he was faced with. Does he trust his gut, and risk being wrong? Or does he take immediate action, and possibly reprimand a son of Konoha? A fellow ninja! Hiruzen calmed his rampant thoughts, and decided his course of action.

" Naruto, you have to understand that there are many questions that are left unanswered by your brief, yet informative report. These things include: why you seem to know me closely, whereas I don't know you at all, how you seemed to be taught by, and work with individuals that aren't registered ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, and lastly, why you seem to know things that have yet to happen such as who's face will take the fourth place on the Monument," Hiruzen listed with concern.

Naruto began to panic at those words. He didn't know what was going to happen, but his thoughts were interrupted when the Lord Third continued. " But, even so. There is an air of brutal honesty about you, and I am going to order that you remain within the village," Hiruzen stated before a resounding " Yes!" came out of Naruto's mouth. " That being said, you will remain under constant supervision of several Anbu operatives, as well as remain under house arrest until you are deemed non-threatening," Hiruzen continued. Naruto didn't understand the need for the Anbu supervision, but he didn't argue. He didn't see the point.

" On top of that, I am assigning you as Minato's charge until such time that you are allowed to live on your own. He will be supplied with rations for food, and essentials that you will need." Hiruzen stated plainly. He was about to continue before he was interrupted. " I will NOT live with him!" Naruto spat. Naruto knew full well how to take care of himself, and he didn't want to be pawned off on someone whom he hardly knows. Hiruzen noted the intensity of the reply before speaking again. " Well what would you suggest?" he asked.

Naruto already knew what he was going to say before the Lord Third even asked the question. " Lord Third, would you allow me to live in my own quarters somewhere? You can assign as many guards, and Anbu as you wish to ensure my cooperation, but please. Don't make my live with him." Naruto pleaded. Minato had remained silent during the duration of the conversation so far, but he couldn't help himself when he spoke out at the previous statement. " Good, I don't want to have to take care of someone who cant even hold his own in a fight," Minato stated blandly to Naruto, before turning his head away; effectively ending the conversation between them.

Hiruzen observed Minato's reaction, and was thoroughly entertained. Turning his head towards Naruto, he stared at him before answering Naruto's request. " Naruto, you will be allowed to live within your own quarters. You will be under 24/7 supervision, and the house arrest will still be in effect. Should you need anything, you may direct your concerns to Minato during his regularly scheduled visits," Hiruzen stated with underlying hints of humor. Minato instantly bristled, but said nothing.

Due to the lack of complaints, Hiruzen began digging out the requisite paperwork to establish Naruto's residency. " Minato, take Naruto to one of the empty apartment complexes on the west side of the village, and see to it that Naruto gets a room. If there are any issues, direct them to me immediately," Hiruzen stated rather calmly. " Do you have any questions, Naruto?" he asked the youngest blonde. " No Hokage-sama. However I do thank you for the accommodations you have provided me," Naruto said while bowing deeply once more. " Hokage-sama? What happened to Jiji?" Hiruzen asked him. Naruto's signature smile found it's way back onto his face before turning away, and following Minato out of the Hokage's office.

* * *

" Here is where you will be staying. I will be around tomorrow at 8:00 sharp. Don't attempt to leave the house or you will be immediately be incapacitated to the point of unconsciousness. Any questions?" Minato stated rather irately. " None. Thank you," and with that, Minato left Naruto to explore his new apartment. It was similar to his old one, but more spacious, and…..cleaner. Naruto immediately found his way to the bedroom. The day had been long, and exhausting. The meeting with the Lord Third had drained him a lot more than he thought, and he was ready to get some sleep.

Crawling under the cold, silky material, Naruto quickly fell asleep.

 **Authors Note! Hello everyone! So here it is. The next chapter. I apologize for the wait, but soon school will be starting, and unfortunately that has to take priority. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! See you next time! I should be updating within a week. XD**


	7. Poison

**Disclaimer- Unfortunately, I do no not own Naruto, nor any of its characters. If I did, it would be slammed packed full of smutty deliciousness!**

Speech and Narration-" Regular Text"

 _Thoughts_ - _" Italics"_

 **Kyuubi-" Bold Text"**

The morning came with its usual glow, and Naruto woke up to meet it. Dragging himself to sit upright, Naruto began to rub the eye crust out of the corners of his cerulean eyes. He was exhausted. He hadn't slept for shit last night, and he knew it was because of nerves. " _This is insane. One day I am going about my business like usual, and the next the world seems to have completely changed. I don't recognize anyone, and features of the village are different,"_ Naruto thought with mild irritation. He just couldn't figure things out.

To prevent getting a headache from his intense thoughts, Naruto thought it best to get out of bed and try to be productive. Sliding his body around, Naruto swung his feet over the side of the bed, and hoped to the floor below. The difference in temperature made him shiver slightly. He padded out of his new bedroom, and immediately went to the bathroom. " Gah! I need to pee!" Naruto rasped before pulling down his pajama pants, and relieving himself. After he shook his manhood free from any residual liquid, Naruto tucked himself away, and washed his hands.

Feeling immensely relieved, Naruto made his way to his new kitchen. He was actually pretty surprised when he found that the kitchen was decently stocked. There were various kinds of vegetables, and when he opened the fridge, an assortment of meats were there for Naruto's disposal. " Looks like I wont starve!" Naruto states excitedly. Naruto kept looking at his various meal choices, but he couldn't seem to find the one thing that he really wanted to eat. Ramen. The thing was, he couldn't seem to find anything that was packaged, or preserved at all. Everything seemed to be…healthy.

" Ugh! Come on. There has to be ramen somewhere!" Naruto grunted out in irritation. He simply couldn't believe that there wasn't any Insta-Ramen to be found. None at all. Naruto, who was bent over searching through the cabinets on the floor level, fell on his butt. He was in utter disbelief. Eyes wide, and mouth agape in shock, Naruto tried to process his discovery. " No ramen?" Naruto whispered to himself. Naruto sat on the ground for a while just trying to get it through his head. " _I can't leave the house, and there isn't any ramen that I can easily cook here…."_ Naruto thought in a panic.

Naruto's mind, as well as his emotions were definitely turbulent, but there was something that brought him out his pity party. "Grrumm." Naruto's empty stomach growled irately. Startled by the sound that came out of nowhere, Naruto got up, and dusted himself off. " Ok, so there's no ramen. Whatever. I have to keep myself strong!" Naruto rasped. At that, Naruto began to look for various things that he would like to eat. Moving to grab several bundles of vegetables, the beef from the fridge, and some spices from the cabinets, Naruto got to work on trying to fix a suitable breakfast.

* * *

" Ahhh this looks great!" Naruto shouts proudly. For the past two hours, Naruto slaved in the kitchen to prepare something that he would both like, and would also be somewhat healthy. Needless to say, Naruto felt pretty proud of himself. Before him was a simple, yet elegant beef stir-fry. Naruto couldn't help but to drool when he looked at what his hard work had produced. Succulent beef is gently seared with caramelized onions, fresh bell peppers, and snow peas so fresh, their crunch endured the intense heat of the pan.

Deciding that he had finally ogled his creation enough, Naruto walked across the length of the kitchen, grabbed himself a bowl, and made his way back to the table. Once he was seated, Naruto helped himself to a large portion of his masterpiece, and began to dig in. As Naruto took his first bite, he almost couldn't believe what he tasted. " I-I-It taste's…..great!" he shouted gleefully. Naruto knew that with him trying to cook, the food would either be at least edible, or completely and totally awful. It certainly wasn't the latter. Pride swelling in Naruto's heart, he began to consume his wonderful food.

Naruto ate his single, yet delectable dish with absolute gusto. Finishing his bowl in record time, Naruto made to fill his bowl with more, but was disappointed to find that he had managed to eat all that he had prepared. " Damn! That was amazing!" Naruto sighed out as he petted his swollen stomach. After a couple minutes of just resting at the table, Naruto began to collect the dished used to make his brunch, and proceeded to wash them.

Glancing at the clock, Naruto noticed that it was only 11:00am. Eyes widening, Naruto realized that he had easily 6-7 hours before Minato would come to make sure that he was still alive. " Jeez… Why do I need a babysitter? It isn't like I haven't had to live alone, and take care of myself before," Naruto stated rather bitterly while pouting.

Figuring that he might as well try to be productive, Naruto decided that he would do some physical training. " I really need to make my body stronger. Sasuke really beat the shit out of me…" Naruto's spoken thought process came to a halt at the mention of his teammates name. Naruto hadn't really thought about his team since the accident, and it troubled him that he hadn't run into them. " _It's actually pretty weird that Sakura hasn't come to visit me,"_ Naruto thought curiously. " I kind of miss her. I even miss the tem- ahh! What am I thinking? That bastard can go to hell for all I care!" Naruto yelled passionately.

Naruto's tried to keep his head held high, but it slowly sunk with the weight of the blatant lie he just spat. Hand clenching around his fork, and knife, Naruto nearly shook with anger. The thing was, he didn't really know what he was angry at. He knew full well that HE was the one that provoked Sasuke, and that caused him to get his ass beat. He knew that, at the end of the day, everything that had happened up to this very moment, was sparked by his actions. Now he had to deal with the inferno.

Naruto slammed his fist on the table, and made to get up out of his seat. " Sitting here crying isn't going to get me anywhere! I need to train so that next time, I can beat Sasuke!" he said with burning passion. Moving as if it were second nature, Naruto began to gather the plates, and pans that he used to cook his meal, and tossed them into the sink without washing them. Naruto took a second to look at the mess in the sink before shrugging and walking out of the kitchen. " What can I say? Old habits die hard," he stated with a devilish glean in his eye.

Naruto ran to bedroom, and put on some shorts, and mesh shirt to prepare for his training when, suddenly, he began to feel a bit dizzy. " Woah," Naruto whispered as he swayed and fell against the wall. His limbs shook with the effort that it took just to keep him upright. Naruto tried to look ahead to where his bedroom was, but all he saw was the hallway swirling and spinning. His little dizzy spell had grown into a full blown case of vertigo. Naruto tried to take another step forward, but the motion simply resulted in increasing his nausea. Naruto tried to bring a shaky hand to his mouth, but he was too late. Collapsing to his knees, Naruto began to purge the contents of his stomach.

" What the hell is happening to me?" Naruto choked out as a stream of vomit ran down the corner of his mouth. Naruto knew that trying to use his eyesight would only lead to another wave of awful vertigo, so he closed his eyes, and crawled his way to the bathroom. When he finally reached the porcelain bowl, Naruto was exhausted and breathless. His body shook with the power of the convulsions around his stomach. Retching over, and over again, Naruto finally collapsed in a pile of his own vomit, and sweat. He never heard the recurring knocks at his door.

* * *

Minato hadn't had the best day. He had been stuck playing errand runner for the Lord Third all day, and he was exhausted. He was just about to excuse him from the Third's presence, when he was reminded that he had to check on his new " charge." Internalizing his immense frustration, Minato simply smiled and nodded his head in comprehension. He also pretended not to see the amused grin that was painted onto the wise old man's lips. After being dismissed, Minato bowed to his Hokage, and made his way out of the Hokage office.

Minato was far from ecstatic about the situation he had been landed in. Grunting, he raised his arms to rest behind his head, fingers interlocking. " I don't see why I have to play babysitter to that pathetic Genin!" Minato grumbled. As much as he would like to give the Hokage an excuse as to why he "couldn't" deal with the younger blond, he knew that the Third had his own reasons for setting up this arrangement. Whether it be a form of training, or just to give him grief. Minato had a strong feeling it was the latter.

As Minato was lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize that he was already approaching Naruto's apartment complex. Minato stopped his quick paces, and just stared at the building in front of him. He began to think back to just yesterday when the Third suggested that he take Naruto into his home. Though he would never admit it, Minato was slightly shocked that Naruto fought against living with him. Minato knew he hadn't been the most… welcoming individual, but he hadn't meant to push so far as to make Naruto hate him.

Minato was a ninja. This meant that when there was even the slightest possibility that his home was being threatened, he was instantly on guard and ready to destroy the threat. Naruto just showed up at the sight of a massive scar. Not only that, but he seems to believe that he is from Konoha even though the Third had never seen him before. All registered ninja have a file of all the information available about them, and yet there was nothing on Naruto. It was as if he never existed until he just appeared.

Minato didn't realize that he had, yet again, gotten caught within his own thoughts until a ball rolled against his foot. Quickly bringing himself back into the outside world, Minato saw that there were children playing in the alley of the apartment complex. Smiling his blinding smile, Minato kicked the ball back over to the kids with incredible accuracy, and continued his way up the apartment complex. He was getting closer and closer to that blonde that had thrown his life out of balance, and it made him anxious for some reason. Minato walked up to the familiar apartment door, and once again, stopped in his tracks. While he was internally complaining about having to do this in general, he had completely forgotten to think about what he was actually supposed to do.

Thinking that it was better to just get it over with, Minato decided to just check in and see if the blonde required anything. If things were good, he would just leave. Simple. Minato raised a closed fist, and knocked against the cold wooden surface. Minato backed away quickly, and prepared himself for a loud, obnoxious blonde to swing the door open, and start yelling. Minato waited. Nothing. No one answered the door. A very confused Minato furled his brow in irritation that the blonde wasn't answering the door so he tried knocking again. " Hey Naruto, it's Minato! Open up!" Minato yelled while forcing his fist against the door again. He waited a moment, and received no answer.

Now Minato was starting to become concerned. Had Naruto snuck out of his apartment? Could he really be that stupid? Thinking that it would be a good idea to try and sense the other blonde, Minato took a deep breath. After closing his eyes, and exhaling, Minato stretched his senses out and infused them with chakra. Searching the apartment for even the slightest sound, Minato finally heard a slight moan. " _Ok good. Naruto is still in the apartment. But, why isn't he answering the door?"_ Minato thought in utter confusion.

Minato decided that he was no longer going to sit idly by, and wait for Naruto. Shifting his hands together, Minato made several hand signs before placing his palm against the door frame where the dead bolt would be and whispered, " Wind Style: Air Blade". After the shark ring of metal being cut, the door slid open slowly. Minato stepped in, and was immediately met with smell of vomit. Natural instincts taking over, Minato instantly got into a fighting pose. He waited, and looked for any sense of aggression in the air, but found none.

As he began to relax at the lack of danger, Minato became concerned. " What the hell? Why does it reek of vomit?" he spat out in disgust. Walking into the apartment, he saw that the kitchen was in complete disarray. Shifting the pots, and pans around, Minato inspected what was left of the food that Naruto cooked. He was actually pretty surprised that Naruto had managed to prepare a meal without burning down his new apartment. Minato smiled at his lack of faith in Naruto. Was it mean? Perhaps. Entertaining? Definitely!

Minato was placing the remnants of Naruto's meal back into the sink, when he heard that sound again. That same soft whimper or moan. It was so slight that he almost couldn't hear it. Following his ears, Minato quickly walked over to the hallway that connected the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen together. Stepping into the hallway, Minato was faced with a sight he wasn't expecting. Naruto was sprawled about the floor. Body half in the bathroom, half outside. Minato rushed over to see what the problem was, when another wave of putrid odor hit him dead in the face.

Covering his nose with the crook of his arm, Minato tried to take in what was in front of him. Naruto was unconscious, and lying in a puddle of his own vomit. Lovely. Bending down, Minato rested an open palm on Naruto's back before speaking. " Hey Naruto! What's wrong? What the hell happened?" he said as calmly as he could. Minato's panic only grew at the lack of response. " Naruto? Naruto! Wake up!" Minato repeated louder, and louder but still revived no reply. Minato began to panic. He didn't know how to help Naruto because he couldn't figure out what was wrong in the first place.

Minato's frustration was growing, and he could feel it coursing through his body like a venom. He knew he wasn't thinking clearly, so he took a deep breath and held it. " _One…two…three…four…five,"_ Minato counted in his head before exhaling with a soft hiss. The result was immediate. It was like the storm that had clouded his judgement, was fading away with each breath.

Now that he could process what was happening, Minato was able to detect several clues that he missed before. Placing his hand back on Naruto's back, Minato confirmed that Naruto seemed to be running a fever, and was sweating profusely. Minato moved to pick Naruto up out of the pool of vomit that he had been lying in, an rested him propped against the hallway wall. After making sure that he wouldn't slide down to one side, Minato took a second look at the vile multicolored substance that had been ejected from Naruto's stomach. There appeared to be rather large amounts of what looked like freshly chewed food.

" Hmmm…," Minato hummed before a moan that escaped Naruto's lips drew his attention. " Naruto? Can you hear me?" he asked. Naruto only continued to moan incomprehensible sounds. Minato sat there for a moment more, studying Naruto. " _Strange. He has…whisker marks?"_ Minato thought curiously. His gaze lingered on Naruto's face longer than it should have. He couldn't help but to get somewhat lost in the contours of Naruto's face. When he first laid eyes on the boy, he was _sure_ that his face was fuller than it was now.

Naruto moaned with extra vigor signifying how ill he was, and the awful sound brought Minato back to his need of medical assistance. Adjusting Naruto so that he was in a comfortable position in Minato's arms, Minato took to the rooftops towards the hospital. Leap after leap, Minato tried to rush as fast as he could while being encumbered by Naruto's added weight.

It took him five minutes of near top speed leaping, but Minato finally came skidding to a halt in front of the hospital's main entrance. Taking large strides into the building, he was instantly noticed, and a medical ninja came over to see what had happened. " I don't know what is wrong with him. I went over to his place to check up on him, and I found him unconscious in a puddle of his own vomit. The only thing I can really tell you is that the vomit was pack full of freshly chewed food. He came in contact with whatever made him sick not long after eating," Minato said in a single large statement. The medical ninja nodded, and thanked him for the information before calling over a gurney.

" Place him here please," the male medical ninja said firmly. After doing as he was told, Minato backed away. " If you would have a seat in the waiting area, we will let you know what he find out. Thank you, shinobi-san," the man said before rushing away with Naruto. Minato watched as the mobile bed rolled further, and further out of his sights until they passed through double doors.

Taking a seat in an uncomfortable green chair, Minato exhaled in relief that Naruto was going to get help. Now, there was nothing else to do other than to wait.

* * *

 **Authors Note-** **Hello my wonderful tortugas! Yes, I did just refer to all of you as turtles, but they are my favorite, which makes you guys my favorites too! XD I cannot stress enough, though, how much it means to me that you review. Authors want, and NEED their readers thoughts, and opinions so that they can shape, and mold their creativity into what you guys want. I hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will be the beginning of MinaNaru. Only hints though! See you next time.**


	8. Bonding

**Disclaimer-If I owned Naruto, so many things would have happened to make the show much more appealing. Like lots of sex! XD I hope you all are enjoying my story, as I am trying really hard to come up with original material for you guys. Without further ado, I give you chapter 8 of Two Roads Diverge In Yellow: Bonding**

Speaking and Narration-" Regular Text"

 **Kyuubi-" Bold Text"**

 _Thoughts-" Italics"_

Wet. Naruto felt wet. Like he was in water. The sensation was very strange for him. One moment he was in his apartment retching his guts up, and the next it felt like he was submerged in a pool of warm water. He could breathe just fine, so he knew something was weird. Everything was black, and he couldn't see anything. Putting two, and two together Naruto slowly fluttered his eyes open. Blinking several times as his blurry vision cleared, Naruto realized where he was.

The nasty greenish hued walls, flooded floor, and endless hall were all there. " _This my mindscape,"_ Naruto thought with focused eyes. Immediately, Naruto went on guard. The last time he was here, the fox did something that he still hadn't figured out. Naruto sat, up and stared down the hall where he knew that retched fox lied sealed within a cage. " I need to ask him what the hell he did!" he said in his usual excited tone. Settling on his decision, Naruto set off down the hallway at a rapid sprint.

" _There are so many things that I don't understand. What did that damn fox do to me, and why?"_ Naruto's mind jumped from question, to question. Ever since he woke up, Naruto hasn't understood almost everything that has occurred. He refused to believe that Jiji didn't remember who he was. He refused to believe that his teammates seemed to not exist at all. There was just no way that any of this was real. " They are all probably playing a prank on me to get me back for all of the pranks I played before I became a ninja," Naruto verbalized his thought.

You could almost see the gears grinding away in Naruto's head, when he suddenly came to a stop right before a sight that astounded him. Before his own eyes, the cage that once held the demon fox that was sealed within him, was now fallen apart! The think was, it wasn't like last time when the cage rebuilt itself. This time, the bars that had managed to keep the vermillion fox sealed all this time, were fading away. Slowly, but surely.

Naruto's eyes widened at the very sight. Taking a step back in amazement, Naruto almost didn't notice the blood colored chakra that was creeping its way towards him. Quickly, he tried to kick off the ground so that he could put some distance between him, and that vile chakra. He didn't move. Grunting in surprise, Naruto looking around in confusion before looking at his feet. The same evil chakra that was inching its way towards him at that very moment, also had managed to wrap itself around his sandals; effectively cementing him in place.

" No, I don't want your chakra! Stop!" Naruto screamed as a wave of blood red chakra encased his body. Naruto felt every nerve in his body scream in pain as the intensity of the energy. The pain was excruciating. It was as if the fox's chakra was spilling into his body through his very pores! Naruto continued to scream in agony, and fell to his knees. Layer, after layer of red chakra encases his body awaiting it turn to be absorbed by the blonde's body. Naruto saw white. The pain was overloading his senses, and there was nothing that he could do to stop it.

" **No! What is happening?"** the Kyuubi finally spoke after watching the scene unfold before him. Up to this point, Kurama thought that his chakra being drawn out was caused by Naruto, but it wasn't. " **What are you doing with my chakra you fucking brat?"** the fox roared. Kurama tried to analyze what he was seeing. Instead of his chakra merely encasing Naruto, it was as if it was forcing its way into the brats body! " **No! It can't be!"** Kurama said with a hint of fear in his voice.

" Ugh! You damn fox, what the hell are you doing?" Naruto rasped as another wave of agony traveled throughout his body. Naruto felt like his skin was on fire. The hair all over his body had already been burnt off, and layers of his skin were starting to peel; like a snake shedding an old skin. Piece, after piece, Naruto's skin came off while blood began to mix with chakra

" **My chakra….it's combining with the brats! How could this happen!"** Kurama spat while racking his brain for a proper explanation. Theory, after theory was denied as the more and more of the vile red chakra merged with Naruto's body. Kurama tried, and tried think of an explanation as to what was unfolding before him. Naruto's screams of agony echoed throughout the mindscape. Their intensity even made the all powerful fox cringe.

More of Naruto's blood began to combine with Kurama's chakra, and Kurama stood idly by observing with both wicked interest, and utter disgust. Weakness set in as he felt more of his chakra ebb away from him. " **Gah! No! It cant be!** " Kurama roared as an explanation finally dawned on him. " **You fucking meat bag! This is your fault!"** he screamed in a gravely tone. " " **This is a result of the technique I used to send the child back! My chakra was supposed to encase his body to make sure his body didn't deteriorate due to the intensity of traveling back. Instead, it BOUND itself to the child's own chakra. That is why he is sick now. His body had been in a sort of stasis due to his injuries, but now our chakras are combining at full force!"** Kurama thought while being astounded.

Naruto continued to writhe on the ground as he felt every nerve in his body being seared, repaired, and injured all over again. Naruto wanted for this whole thing to just cease, but there was one problem.

It wasn't going to.

* * *

A flurry of nurses, and doctors swarmed about in the room that Naruto's physical body had been rushed in to. As quickly as possible, they hooked him up to monitors and prepared to begin the stabilization process. A black haired woman stepped into the room and called out " Tell me what the hell's going on!" " Ma'am apparently this shinobi was found unconscious in what seemed like his own vomit according to the man who brought him here," one of the nurses said. " Understood. Take a blood sample, and perform a tox screen!" the ebony haired doctor called out. " Miyuki! Shizuka! Join me in examining for more internal damage." A resounding "hai!" echoed throughout the room .

Mint green chakras began to emanate from the doctor's, and her assistance's hands while they looked for any form of internal damage. Naruto was still unconscious and it didn't seem that he was going to wake up any time soon. " Dr. Yusha, I think you should see this," said the nurse that was taking the blood sample. Frowning in confusion, she moved over to where the nurse was standing only to gasp in shock at what she saw. The blood sample was infused with an awful vermillion chakra!

Yusha took the vial from the nurse, and tried to get a closer look at it. Just as the vial made contact with her palm, Yusha screamed as some of that same sick chakra burnt her, causing her to drop the vial. " What he hell!" she screamed. She continued to stare at the oozing mixture of blood and chakra when a scream from the other side of the room drew her attention to the examination table where Naruto was laying.

Yusha couldn't believe her eyes. Not a moment ago, the child was lying on the table being treated, and now his entire body was encased in the same disgusting chakra that had just burnt her. " Shit!" she exclaimed. " Everyone back away from the chakra! It's too volatile to go near!" Everyone in the room did as told, and watched in amazement at that was going on. Blood red chakra was pulsating out of the child's body, and after a few moments, he began to scream.

His noises of his agony reverberated in the room before they were joined by the shouts of fright from some other people in the room. As the child continued to scream, his skin began to slough off! Layer after layer, piece after piece, his skin just seemed to melt off due to the intense energy being released from his body.

" Someone call the Hokage! He needs to see this!" Yusha yelled fearfully. An exclaim of acknowledgment made its way to the doctors ears before that person disappeared to report to the Hokage. By now, the child was completely stripped of all of his skin. His hair was disintegrated by the awful chakra, and now he resembled a humanoid creature bathed in blood. " Amazing..," Yusha whispered in wonder. In all of her years as a doctor, she had never seen anything like what was happening before her very eyes.

" What in Kami's name is going on here!" said a voice that everyone recognized as the Lord Third's. " Sir, this child was admitted not 20 minutes ago with an unknown ailment, and now his entire body is being eroded away by the vile chakra that is surrounding him," Yusha reported. Hiruzen analyzed the situation and was horrified by what he saw. The child no longer had any hair, or skin! " How is he even still alive?" Hiruzen asked aloud. Yusha said nothing. She merely nodded her head in wonder. The message was clear. The child shouldn't even be alive.

" Isn't there any-" Hiruzen started to say before a blood curdling roar erupted form the child's mouth. The roar was purely monstrous, and carried enough force to create cracks in the ceiling, and walls, while simultaneously pushing over anything that wasn't secured. The air stung as it was filled with me most vile chakra any of them had ever experienced.

The room was vibrating with the intensity of the chakra that was filling it. Hiruzen couldn't believe what has happening before his very eyes. Trying to remain objective, he turned to Yusha. " What is the patients name? How did we not know of his condition?" he asked furiously. Yusha removed the hair from her face before replying. " Lord Third, according to the patient's chart, his name is Uzumaki, Naruto. Aside from that he had no other records." Hiruzen snapped his head to look at the doctor when she said that name.

Looking at the grotesque figure on the table, Hiruzen couldn't believe what he had just heard. " That's Naruto! There's no way!" he screamed aloud. " I just met this child not a couple days ago!" Hiruzen was pulled out of his shock when a deadly feeling abused his senses. At that, Hiruzen turned to where the other members in the room had gathered, and were looking fearfully at the child that was transforming. Pointing to the door, Hiruzen made his orders known. " Everyone get to safety. This room cant handle much more of this chakra before it collapses." Nodding, everyone made their way out of the room.

Now that he was alone, Hiruzen chose to finally take action. Making the requisite hand signs, he bit his thumb, and slammed his hand to the wooden floor below. With a sharp whine, as well as a poof of smoke, Enma appeared before Hiruzen. Taking in his surroundings, Enma became fixated on what was lying on the medical slab. " Hiruzen, what the hell is that thing?" Enma shouted over the roars that abused his ears. " No time for that Enma! We have to erect a barrier around this room to prevent any more damage!" Hiruzen snipped. Understanding what they had to do, both Enma and Hiruzen produced a single shadow clone.

"Now move!" Hiruzen shouted urgently. Even as he spoke, parts of the ceiling were falling to the floor below. Hiruzen's clone moved to the opposite corner of the room, whereas Enma's did the same, and moved to his corner. After everyone was in their positions, the real Hiruzen gave them the signal to start the jutsu. Nodding comprehensively, everyone started the hand sign sequence. Everyone in the room went through the signs rapidly before sticking out their arms. Making the final sign, Hiruzen mirrored the other members. " Sealing: Four Point Adamantine Barrier," he shouted. Sheets of pure chakra shot out or everyones hands, and converged into a single barrier. Then pure bars of adamantine materialized from the Enma's hands and created a double layer of chakra infused adamantine, and chakra.

The barrier was erected just in time for another wave of pure energy to slam against the wall of adamantine. The inside of the barrier was being blown to bits. It was like a typhoon had appeared, and its destructive winds were tearing everything in its path apart. Hiruzen sighed in relief as he wasn't sure that his barrier would hold.

Looking back at the child that he now knew was Naruto, fear seeded itself in Hiruzen's heart. He could no longer make out Naruto's original body. No. What laid on the table was a mass of blood, and chakra that would morph, and deconstruct just as quickly. Roar, after roar left the masses mouth, and Hiruzen's heart ached as he sensed the excruciating pain that Naruto must be going through.

The mass continued to contort, and change until everything suddenly went still. Hiruzen was frozen, completely floored by what he was seeing. All of the chakra that had leaked into the room was now boing pulled with the child's body. It continued to collect until what was supposed to be Naruto, was completely encased in a concentrated ball of chakra and blood. Every little wisp of chakra that had leaked, was now seemingly forcing its way towards Naruto.

" Kami. Please let Naruto survive…" Hiruzen prayed.

" **BRAT! BRAT!"** Kurama roared at the figure that was Naruto. Naruto was unresponsive. Too focused on the the searing sensations that filled his entire being, he merely screamed in pain, and hoped for any sense of relief.

Kurama was officially panicking. If he was correct about what was happening, he soon would fade entire. Instead of living as two separate beings, one within the other, both he and Naruto would combine to form a single being. " **That** ** _cannot_** **happen!"** the fox thought. Yet, there was little that he could do. Even in his weakened state, Naruto's seal kept Kurama bound.

Kurama looked down at his body. It began to flicker, fade, then reappear. " **No! My essence is joining with that fucking child's!** " It was then that Kurama began to feel a pull. A pull towards Naruto's body. Trying to back away from the wretched bars that had kept him trapped for so long, Kurama called forth all of his strength to try and save him from this fate. " **I CANNOT BOND WITH A HUMAN! I WON'T!** " he screamed at the top of his lungs. Feet slipping, Kurama fell pray to the immense pull. He was flung against familiar bars, and he was sure that his body was going to be forced through the bars.

Face turned sideways, Kurama looked down at the rest of his body. What used to be fur, and limb was now chakra. Like a match burning down its stalk, Kurama's body was transferred back to the same ancient chakra that had manifested him to begin with. Creeping like bugs up his body, Kurama tried to fight the transformation, and failed. Letting out one last roar of anger, the rest of Kurama's essence was drawn to the ball of blood, and chakra that encased Naruto.

The sphere that had drawn in Naruto began to fluctuate, and twist. With a final ear shattering whistle, the sphere collapsed entirely into Naruto's body. Silence occurred. The sound of cracks forming in the walls of the mindscape, as well as the metal bars of the seal could be heard. Moments had passed before Naruto awoke to let out the most awful roar/cry. The mere force of it completely destroying everything in sight. The walls of the mindscape fell before blast, as well as the metal cage that had trapped Kurama for 13 years. Nothing was left.

Nothing.

* * *

Hiruzen, and Enma barely had enough time to pass through the barrier before the largest shockwave had managed to escape Naruto's body. Everything within the room was destroyed, and nothing but debris, rubble remained. Hiruzen removed his hands, which were moved in front of his face in instinct, and tried to make out Naruto in the midst of a massive dust cloud.

Seeing that the danger was over, Hiruzen dispelled his clone, which dispelled the barrier. Enma followed suite, standing beside his summoner. Hiruzen called forth a minor wind style jutsu, and blew away the dust cloud that obscured his vision. What he witnessed was beyond anything he had ever seen before.

Laying before him in the midst of all the rubble, appeared to be Naruto. Except Naruto looked nothing like the harmless child whom he had met with before. No. This Naruto looked incredibly menacing, and Hiruzen couldn't help but acknowledge the primal fear he was experiencing. Naruto's skin had reformed around his body, but it was a raw pink color. His hair had also reformed, but much like his skin, it was different. This hair was the long, scruffy type that gave the child an evil appearance. Hiruzen's gaze moved down from the child's forehead to look at his face. Naruto's teeth looked like they had been replaced with purely canines. Sharper than any ninja tool. The subtle whisker marks that normally adorned Naruto's face now drew the most attention. They were thick, and only added to the animalistic appearance.

Hiruzen wished he could say that he felt safe around the child, but every instinct that came with being a ninja fought against that feeling. This was not the body of any mere child. This was the body of something powerful, and most of all, _deadly._ Hiruzen continued to sweep his gaze over the bare child's body before he gasped when Naruto began to transform yet again. Long hair growing short, whisker marks lessening in size, sharp teeth dulling into normal ones; Naruto was returning to his normal state.

It was then that Hiruzen ignored every one of his ninja instincts, and made his way to crouch next the Naruto's still body. As he crouched to get a closer look at Naurto, Naruto groaned. Eyes fluttering open to give a look of confusion. " G-G-Gramps?" Naruto whispered, voice raw from screaming. He barely finished his one work question with a sharp "sssssssss," before quickly falling back into the embrace of unconsciousness.

Hiruzen was at a loss for words. He simply moved to pick up the child, before he verbalized the collective thought of everyone who had witnessed this transformation." Oh my child… What are you!?"

* * *

 **Well there you guys go! Whew! I am glad I got that chapter out of the way. I am not sure if I like how it came out, but you get what you get. I hope you guys enjoy it! Please remember to review/comment, as it is really important to me that I get your feedback! Have a good day my LOVES! 3**


	9. Friends

**Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters that I may mention in my story. Or maybe I do….pft! Nah, I don't. That has always been so irritating lmao. So guys, there is something that I would like to ask. Are you guys enjoying this fic? Reviews and comments have been pretty dry lately, and that makes me think that maybe I'm wasting my time? Your reviews mean so much to me as a writer, and I appreciate anything you're willing to give. All that aside, I don't want to keep you guys from enjoying the chapter! Please enjoy! Here is… Friends!**

Speech & Dialogue-" Regular Text"

Thoughts-" _Italics"_

Kyuubi-" **Bold Text** "

Naruto was lost. Lost in a vast black existence. Never in his life did he remember spending so much time unconscious; time, after time. Quite frankly, he was getting tired of it. " _Spending so much time in this awful darkness can't be healthy for a growing ninja_ " he thought to himself with what could be described as a slight pouty tone. " _I just can't seem to stay well ever since…_ " Naruto cut himself off. He couldn't go there. Not yet.

Ever since his accident, Naruto knew that something was terribly wrong. Where were his teammates? Where was his sensei? Why was it that when he asked about them, people looked at him like he was crazy? Naruto knew that whatever it was, it couldn't have been good. Unfortunately for him, he hadn't really had time to investigate before people were accusing him of not being a ninja of the Hidden Leaf, or of being a spy. " _A spy? Gah!"_ he thought to himself. Naruto had finally made a home for himself. There was absolutely no way in hell that he would risk it by doing something as stupid as going against his village.

 _"_ _Home….."_ Naruto thought once more. " _I never thought that I, Naruto Uzumaki, would find a home!"_ Naruto basked in the quiet blackness as he remembered the memories he had already managed to form with his new team. Sure, they were few in numbers, but to Naruto they meant more than life itself. " _I don't know what I would have done if they hadn't come into my life_ …" Naruto thought in a contemplative tone.

Suddenly, Naruto grew morose. There were some things that he just simply couldn't understand. Why hadn't he seen his friends? Why hadn't they come and visited him to make sure he was okay? He expected that he probably wouldn't see much of Sakura as she would probably be fawning over the injured Uchiha, but Sensei?

Once again, Naruto Uzumaki felt alone. Tears leaked down his whiskered cheeks. He couldn't see them in the blackness, but he sure as hell felt them. Tears of loneliness. Naruto Uzumaki was more acquainted with these kinds of tears, than any child ever should be. Time, after time people had told him that he was worthless; that he would never amount to anything. " _What if they were right? What if my purpose in life is to cause others grief?_ " Naruto thought depressively to himself.

 _Naruto?_ The word echoed throughout the darkness. " _Huh? What was that?_ " Naruto thought in an alarmed manner. _Naruto, wake up!_ More strange words found their way to Naruto. " _Who is calling my name? Who?"_ Naruto contemplated. Naruto waited for more words to come, but they never did. That seemed to be the story of his life. He waited for someone, anyone to make him feel worthwhile. When he finally managed to find those people, he lost them all too soon. Naruto began to stare out into the ebony. Tears continued to leak from his eyes in heavy streams of pain.

Naruto sat that was for what seemed like forever. An endless stream of liquid draining from Naruto's eyes carried with it both his energy, and his will to fight against the darkness. Naruto clenched his eyes shut, hoping that the tears and bad thoughts would be cut off as well as his already nonexistent vision. They weren't. The tears simply continued to flow. Naruto curled into a fetal position. Rocking back, and forth, he tried to calm his already frayed nerves. " _It seems as if all I feel is pain. If not emotional pain, it becomes physical. Why? Why am I like this?_ " he asks himself. No answer came, and it only made him feel worse.

Naruto remained rocking away his sorrows until something distracted him from him misery, if only for a moment. A light in the dark. Slowly peaking his eyes open, Naruto tried to see what the bright light was. " _What….?_ " he thought in awe. The light grew larger, and larger. Closing the distance between itself, and Naruto, the light seemed to be rapidly approaching.

Naruto sat up. Tons of question's filled his mind. All concentric around a single subject. That light. Feeling almost compelled, Naruto reached his hand out towards the light. The speeding light seemed to know exactly what Naruto intended to do, and slowed to gently rest in Naruto's outstretched hand. A feeling of warmth overcame Naruto. " _What is this? Why am I so warm inside?_ " he wondered. The feeling was unlike anything Naruto had ever felt before. Feeling so at home, Naruto simply closed his eyes to the feeling of pure comfort.

 _Naruto, please come back._ There they go again. Naruto's eyes shot open, and he stared deeply into the light. He knew for sure that he was hearing words that weren't his own. Now he was certain. Focusing his eyes more, Naruto brought his outstretched hand to cup it with his other free hand. " _What a beautiful light…."_ Naruto thought out loud. Naruto knew that he never wanted to lose this light. He would never feel like this again without it.

In a single movement, Naruto brought both of his hands to his chest to try and trap that light forever. For a moment, the light seemed to fade into inky blackness. " _What? No! Come back!"_ Naruto screamed into the night. The tears began anew, and Naruto hung his head in despair. He stayed like that for a single moment. Only a moment. Gripping his chest where he thought he had trapped the light, Naruto screamed at an overwhelming feeling that was coursing through his body. Lying on his back, Naruto grunted at the strange feeling. Moving his hand away, Naruto saw a single beam of light appear from his chest. Staring in anticipation, Naruto remained still. More rays burst forth from his chest before Naruto was completely engulfed in radiant light.

Naruto was too stunned to move or speak. Instead he simply chose to lie down and surrender to the light. Closing his eyes, Naruto had only a single thought.

 _Home…._

* * *

Minato was absolutely baffled. One moment, he was watching the staff take Naruto away on a bed, and the next he was worried that the whole hospital was going to collapse! He remembered cupping his hands over his ears to try and block out some of the deafening roars that threatened to do in his eardrums. After hearing screams, and feeling the entire building shake, Minato decided to investigate what was happening. Running past the check-in desk, Minato rushed past room after room, and found nothing. It was then that the building shook with a violent intensity. Staggering, Minato knew he had to go up to one of the above ground floors.

He entered the stairwell. Racing up each step like his life depended on it, Minato was about enter the second floor when he heard screams. They clearly came from the end of the floor, so he ripped the door open, and began sprinting towards the end of the hall. Finally reaching the end, he turned to see something that would be branded into his memory forever.

Naruto was…..transforming. After that, he memories were spotty. Minato remembered gasping in shock at the sight before him, when an object collided with his head. When he came to, he was resting in an overnight room. Minato immediately went on guard. Something was wrong. Last he remembered, the hospital was in havoc trying to deal with….with….Naruto!

Minato wandered around his room, looking for his own clothing. After changing back into his normal outfit, Minato decided to investigate what happened after he lost consciousness. Sliding his door open, Minato didn't sense anyone watching him, so he slipped out of his room undetected. It took him a matter of seconds to find the stairwell that took him the second floor the first time, and once again he sped up the steps with an eager energy. Pulling the door open, Minato began walking towards the end of the hall.

His eyes bulged in surprise at what he saw. The room was _demolished_! It was like a storm had appeared in the room, and wreaked havoc within. There were cracks in the ceiling, walls, and the floor. There was glass everywhere, and the contents of the drawers had flown all over the place. Minato was so stunned at the sight, that he didn't hear the footsteps approaching behind him. " Namikaze. I figured I would see you here. Come with me," Hiruzen rasped out calmly.

Minato, still speechless, followed his orders silently. As curious as he was, Minato was a man of protocol. He would never defy a direct order from the man whom he looked up to. They walked away from the destruction that lied behind them, and Minato found himself walking behind the Lord Third while going up even more stairs. Flight, after flight of stairs continued to fall behind them until they had finally reached the fifth, and final floor of the hospital.

Minato was vaguely aware that this floor was for the potentially dangerous patients that required supervision. It was because of that, that he couldn't figure out why the Lord Third was bringing him up here. " _What is the purpose of this? Is he going to entrust something to me?_ " Minato thought. Minato was brought out of his thoughts when he realized that the Third had stopped in his tracks. It was then that Hiruzen turned around to face Minato directly. " My, I can practically see the gears shifting wildly within your brilliant mind Minato," the Hokage stated curiously. There was a slight humorous gleam within the Hokage's eyes that made Minato feel somewhat uncomfortable.

" Lord Third, if I may. Why is it that you have brought me up here? Unless I am mistaken, this ward is specifically for potentially dangerous individuals?" Minato asked while squinting his eyes slightly in confusion. Hiruzen smiled, but said nothing feeling that it would prove more effective to show, rather than tell. Minato patiently waited for a response from his Hokage, but it never came. Instead, Hiruzen simply turned around, and walked to a door that led to a patients room. Coming to a halt, HIruzen placed his hand on the sliding door. Before going in, he said " Minato, there are things that we must discuss in private, but I do wish that you keep an open mind about them. Can I ask this of you?" Minato nodded cautiously. For some reason, he felt like he was stepping into something that he would regret later on.

The Lord Third slid open the door, and stepped in with Minato following closely behind. Minato finally crossed into the room, and he was met with an interesting sight. Before them both was once again, an unconscious Naruto that appeared to be healthier than ever. He appeared to be resting peacefully. His golden locks messy as ever, and his sun kissed skin a healthy tan color. It was because of this, though, that Minato was confused. What exactly was Lord Third trying to tell him?

" Minato, do you remember anything before you were knocked out?" the Hokage asked him sternly. Minato was taken aback? " _Do I remember anything? What does he mea-_!" His thought was cut short at the violent memory of a monster wreaking havoc within the hospital. He remembered how disfigured it looked, and also being terrified by its appearance. Those deafening roars began to echo in his ears as if he was reliving the experience.

Lost in his memories, Minato almost didn't notice that the Lord Third has placed his hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. " Minato, it's alright. The danger is gone now. No need to worry." Minato glanced into the wise eyes of his Hokage. Those eyes seemed to have a calming effect on him, and for that he was grateful. " Minato, I feel that there isn't any way to divulge this to you easily so I am just going to be blunt with what I am about to tell you," Hiruzen stated rather anxiously.

" What you saw yesterday, that monster, that was Naruto," HIruzen said. Minato was at a loss. Loss of words, thoughts, everything. Shock began to run its course throughout his body, and he did nothing to snap out of it. " _That monster…. was Naruto!?_ " Minato asked himself. It was then that the first words in a couple minutes escaped his rosy lips. " Lord Third, h-how….w-w-what…..I d-dont….." he managed to stutter out. Hiruzen was afraid this would happen.

Naruto was already at a disadvantage for arriving in a village where he was an enigma, and now he would have to deal with the consequences of what he was. Hiruzen himself was still in a bit of shock at the what had occurred, but at the same time he was old enough to know that the Naruto he met with, was not the same Naruto who underwent that transformation. Hiruzen only hoped that his plan would work out in the end.

" Minato, please sit with me," Hiruzen asked while motioning towards the table in the corner of the room. As they took their seats, Hiruzen took a deep breath and exhaled as he prepared for the task that sat before him. He formulated his words carefully, and then spoke. " Minato as you are now well aware, there are things about Naruto that we don't know about on top of him suddenly showing up. It is because of that, that we need to exercise caution now more than ever," Hiruzen said gently.

Minato was trying to process everything that the Lord Third was throwing at him. His mind was scattered. " _Naruto was that…thing? How? What does he mean by "exercise caution?"_ " Minato thought all at the same time. " Lord Third…. what is it exactly that you're asking me to do?" he asked gingerly. The two men sat there looking at each other. Analyzing. The gazes weren't combative, more like curious. What was the other going to do or say?

HIruzen was the first to break the silence. " Minato I want you to befriend Naruto. Seeing as how you are well aware of what he is capable of, I hope you will be able to find a friend within Naruto despite his awful powers," he said while maintaining direct eye contact. Hiruzen knew that he had to play his hand delicately. The truth was that he needed someone who could get Naruto to open up about who he was, and as a result integrate the child into the village. However, based on the interaction between the two in the his office, HIruzen was hard pressed to believe that things would simply fall into place. He could only hope that Minato's uncommon kindness would extend to Naruto despite his reservations.

Minato sat quietly, and tried to understand what his Hokage was asking of him. "Befriend him….?" the question hung in the air. The tension was palpable. Hiruzen only grunted, and nodded his head in response. " It will be easier to get Naruto on our side, if he feels as if he belongs here. So far we have had to take precautions against him being a spy or worse. Hospitable isn't how you would describe our actions as of yet, wouldn't you say?" Hiruzen continued.

" But Lord Third! You saw what he became! How are you even still considering pleasant interaction and freedom with him? With the power he demonstrated before, he could cause untold damage to the village!" Minato said irately. Konoha was his home, and there was no way that Minato was going to sit idly by and allow someone to hurt this comrades. He would rather die.

Hiruzen didn't reply immediately. He understood where the young ninja was coming from, but he hadn't expected this kind of reaction from him. Why was it that he was reacting so negatively? From what the staff at the hospital told him, Minato brought Naruto into the building with concern etched into his very face, and movements. Did he have a change of heart about Naruto after what he saw? Whatever it was, Hiruzen saw that he wasn't getting anywhere with his suggestive tactics, so now he was going to bring it up a notch.

" Minato, if you must, think of this as an extended mission. I need you to find out as much as you can about Naruto and report back when he divulges important details. Can I entrust this assignment to you?" Hiruzen asked seriously. Minato seemed to sense the change in the atmosphere because he suddenly looked away from Hiruzen's stare, and hung his head. " Hai. I will gladly take this assignment, Lord Third," Minato rasped out. Hiruzen knew that the words were forced, but for now there was nothing more that he could do.

Without saying a word, Hiruzen stood up, and moved away from the table. He walked over to Naruto's bed side, and the same thought came racing back; pushing aside all others. " _What are you child?_ " he thought once again. Hiruzen then walked toward's the door, slid it open, and walked out closing the door behind him.

* * *

Minato didn't know what to think. He was still caught up over the fact that what he saw before wasn't simply a monster. No. It was Naruto! How? Many other questions flooded his brain, but he was offered no relief. Just unanswered questions. Minato rose his head, and looked across the room to where his charge was laying. To the normal individual, the teen would appear to be normal. Minato wasn't so sure anymore.

Minato got up, and made his way to where the Lord Third was standing before he left. Though he was experiencing many things right now, among them was immense curiosity. He would never admit it, but this child both fascinated, and terrified him at the same time. There was just something about him that made Minato want to figure him out. The problem was…he was scared. Whatever Naruto is, whatever happened, he put a seed of terror into Minato's heart. Now, Minato just simply didn't know how to feel.

Minato ran his gaze across Naruto's face. Minato was hesitant to speak, but he managed. " Naruto…." he whispered. Minato wanted answers. He wanted them badly, but he didn't even know how to go about getting them. " Naruto, wake up!" he said firmly, yet still maintaining a soft tone. His words did nothing. Naruto remained inanimate. His breaths were soft, and subtle. To most people, it would look like he is sleeping. To most he would appear like a normal teenager. Minato knew better. Everything he witnessed spoke against any semblance of normalcy.

Minato's gaze stayed on Naruto's face. A specific feature caught his eyes. Gazing at them intently, Minato wondered if Naruto's whisker marks were textured or not. Every instinct in his body told him not to touch him, but his curiosity got the better of him. Minato raised a cautious hand, and slowly extended it towards the boys face. The distance seemed to be infinite at the speed he was reaching across. When his fingers finally made contact, Minato gasped in shock.

" _He is so warm!_ " Minato observed.

Making sure Naruto made no reaction to something on his face, Minato ran his fingers along the very noticeable whisker marks that etched themselves into the younger blondes face. Smooth. They were completely smooth as if they didn't exist at all. Minato's fascination only grew at that. He rubbed his thumb back, and forth across those whisker marks as if trying to rub them off. It was then that Naruto began to stir in his sleep. Minato jerked his hand back so hard, that it collided with his chest with a _thump_.

Taking a few steps back, Minato continued to watch as Naruto showed signs of waking up. He held his breath as Naruto suddenly took in a deep breath, and exhaled dramatically. Naruto then went still. Minato was befuddled, and stepped closer to see if Naruto was okay. Walking back up the bed-side Minato rested his palms on the edge of the bed, and began to lean over to get a better look at Naruto's face since it had shifted.

Minato was leaning over when Naruto's eyelids began to flutter open. Minato froze in fear. " _Shit! I've been caught!"_ he internally screamed. Naruto seemed to be very disoriented and was trying to understand his surroundings. Minato wanted more than anything to move away, but he just couldn't seem to get his feet to work. Minato looked back to Naruto's face, and simply stared into the oceans that existed in the teens eyes. He didn't hear it when Naruto spoke his first words in that familiar raspy tone.

" Minato? What are you doing?"

* * *

 **Author's Note-WELL HELLO AGAIN! This was a pretty fast update compared to the last few chapters, but thanks to me managing to come down with the Flu, I have had some free time. I hope you guys really enjoyed it. Remember to comment/review, or send me a pm as I really do appreciate all of your suggestions. If you are confused about something, feel free to ask me about it. Have a great day/evening everyone! Until next time. ;) ;) ;)**


	10. Something More

**Hello my fellow MinaNaru fans! I apologize for my absence, so here I am updating when I really need to be finishing hw. This chapter marks the first step of many in our path to the ultimate MinaNaru smut! XD Enjoy! Here is….. Something More!**

Speaking & Narration-"Regular Text"

Thoughts-" _Italics"_

Kyuubi-" **Bold Text** "

* * *

" Minato? What are you doing?" Naruto asked in groggy slurs. The younger blonde began to move his arms up to rub his eyes, but was stopped instantly by the searing pain that emanated throughout his body. Hissing in pain Naruto moved to place his arms back down. Opening a single eye, Naruto studied the man that was standing a few feet from his bed. A couple questions circled through his head. First, why was Minato so close and staring at him when he woke? Second, why did Minato seemed so panicked now that he was awake?

* * *

"Hokage-sama! I have a report of the utmost urgency!" a red haired kunoichi stated rather bluntly to Hiruzen. Once he had finished his business with Minato, he had returned to the Hokage tower to carry on with his typical duties, before another ninja teleported into his office. Hiruzen quickly recognized the woman in front of his desk without having to see her face. Her signature crimson hair was enough evidence to prove that who stood kneeling before him, was none other than Uzumaki Kushina.

To most people, Kushina would come across as a confident, loyal, and somewhat intimidating. She was definitely an exceptionally skilled ninja, and was more than wiling to prove it on any given occasion, but that is not what made her an exceptional person. She was exceptional because as a little girl, Kushina was made the host of the Kyuubi. This was done in secret so the general public held no knowledge, but even so, such a burden should never be placed on a child. Even through all the hardships she faced, Kushina remained caring, compassionate, and kind and through the years, turned into the woman before him.

Hiruzen realized that he had said nothing so far, and chose to speak before anymore time passed. " What is it Kushina? What burdens you child?" he asked. It was then that Hiruzen noticed the tension that Kushina carried in her body. He noted, when she moved to look directly into his eyes, that she seemed to carry an air of emergency. Hiruzen immediately put up his guard.

"Hokage-sama, when I woke up this morning I noticed something was off with my body, and upon further inspection, I discovered that I could not feel the Kyuubi's presence!" Kushina reported. Hiruzen's eyes grew wide with shock. Of al the things he thought could go wrong, he had never anticipated that she would be reporting about _that_!

Hiruzen was moved quickly. Making rapid hand signs, he slammed his palm on his desk activating a privacy jutsu so that they could continue to speak in assured privacy. Lifting his hand, Hiruzen waved Kushina over to him.

Moving willingly, Kushina came to stand directly in front of Hiruzen's desk. Without wasting anymore time, Hiruzen spoke once more. " Tell me what you know," he said. " Hai! When I woke up this morning, I noticed the lack of presence that I can normally detect from the Kyuubi. This worried me so I tried to study my seal to check for defects, but only came to find that it was gone! Hokage-sama, my seal is gone, and the Kyuubi is nowhere to be found!" Kushina finished before breaking into tears.

* * *

Minato was at a loss for words. Thought Lord Third had persuaded him to come see him, he hadn't actually thought about what he was going to do, or say. Minato was still in a sort of shock due to what he saw the day before, and he didn't really know how to process it. How could that, _thing_ exist within Naruto? It was monstrous, and the chakra he felt made him sick. The thing that confused him was now, standing before Naruto in person, he couldn't sense the same chakra at all. Instead all he felt was Naruto's enormous amount of chakra that he seemed to be blessed with.

" Minato?" Naruto said once more. Without thinking, he spoke. " Hokage-sama wished for me to come check up on you. You are my charge after all," Minato said with a hint of false humor in his voice. Minato knew that he had to get close to Naruto, but he didn't really know how. Naruto was still new to the village, and Minato still hadn't decided whether he trusted him or not. For now he would just play along, and see what Naruto was willing to divulge, and fulfill his duty.

"Check up on me? What happened?" Naruto asked. Minato said nothing at first because he didn't have an answer. He knew he couldn't tell Naruto the truth because that would jeopardize his mission, so he went with a little lie. " You must have ate something spoiled because you managed to get some pretty bad food poisoning. You passed out, and I found you in your apartment unconscious so I brought you here," Minato stated as confidently as he could.

Naruto seemed to follow along, and try to analyze his current situation. Minato watched him carefully in hopes that Naruto wouldn't realize that he was lying to him. Silence settled in the room before it was disrupted with a loud " What!?" that escaped Naruto. Minato immediately went on guard. " _Shit! Did he figure it out!?_ " Minato panicked internally. " You're telling me that I am THAT bad of a cook that I managed to poison myself? Gah! How embarrassing!" Naruto fished with a petulant pout.

Minato visibly relaxed at knowing that Naruto hadn't figured it out. He was glad that Naruto had a tendency to be quite dense. Making an attempt to try and move on from the subject. " Naruto, you seem to have an exceptional healing rate so I was wondering if you'd like to join me tomorrow to train? I cant imagine being confined to your apartment all day would be much fun," Minato stated dryly. The atmosphere in the room changed immediately, and Minato knew that he had won this battle.

Naruto shot straight up grinning wildly. " Really? You mean it!?" he asked. Naruto continued to look at Minato before an intense pain caught up with him, and he visibly grimaced. Naruto couldn't stop himself from falling back. He was preparing for the pain that would come with his body coming into abrupt contact with the bed, but was curious as to why it never came. Opening his eyes, Naruto registered that there was a hand on the back of his head slowly guiding him down.

When his body was flush against the bed once more, Naruto moved his gaze up the sky blue orbs that were watching him carefully. Those eyes were consuming, and Naruto felt a strange pull towards them-a sort of gravity that drew his being towards the other man. Minato's face was within 6 inches of Naruto, but for some reason that distance closed quickly. Before either one of them even knew what was happening, they became locked at there lips in a small, yet sweet kiss.

As soon as the contact registered, both boys recoiled. Eyes flew open and Naruto screamed. Minato, who was caught off guard, tried to back away from the bed but managed to trip over a vitals cord, and fell on his butt. Naruto was rubbing his mouth dramatically mumbling something about why he kept finding boys attached to his face, and Minato was still trying to process that Naruto had just kissed him.

* * *

Hiruzen was trying to process Kushina's report as quickly as he could. First, Kushina mentioned that he could no longer sense the Kyuubi's presence within her body. That was startling enough. Then she continued to state that her seal seems to have simply disappeared. For all of his years of experience, Hiruzen couldn't think of a single reason as to why either of those two things could have happened. Deciding that he would tackle those issues later, Hiruzen turned his attention to the 15 year old girl who was sobbing before his desk.

Standing up, Hiruzen moved from behind his desk and embraced Kushina. She continued to sob into his robes, but he didn't mind. In the shinobi world, people often forget in the midst of having to be strong, that it is okay to cry. Cleansing the soul is healthy. He knew that Kushina, and the Kyuubi were not close by any means, but that didn't mean that she wasn't dealing with loss. That beast had been a part of her since her childhood, and now it was simply gone. In a way, it reflected the life of shinobi in many ways. One day you can be alive, and healthy, and the next you could be cold and dead.

" Shhh child. Shhhh." Hiruzen consoled gently while caressing her hair. " You haven't don't anything wrong Kushina. I know you're loyal to Konoha, and I have no doubts about that. Although, now we must focus our time, and energy on trying to find out what happened to the Kyuubi. Do you understand?" Hiruzen asked softly. Kushina nodded, and wiped the tears from her face. She backed out of the Hokage's embrace, and thanked him for consoling her. " What will you have me do now Lord Third?" Kushina asked determined to make up for losing the Kyuubi.

Hiruzen thought for a moment before deciding on a course of action. " Kushina, for now I just want you to go home, and get some rest. When I have something for you, I will summon you. Until then, rest, and train," Hiruzen asked. He saw the look of disappointment on Kushina's face, but held his ground while dismissing her. " Hai!" she stated before leaving his office.

Hiruzen was experiencing a cocktail of intense emotions, and thoughts. He understood the urgency of locating the Kyuubi if, it had indeed, been taken. That being said, how was he supposed to go about doing that? Second, he worried about who was responsible for the entirety of this event. Only an S-rank ninja had the skills to pull something like this off, and the list of those possessing the skills to do so only continued to narrow who it could possibly be.

Hiruzen walked back to sit at his desk before calling his ANBU guards into the room. " Something has occurred that must be dealt with by the entirety of the free ANBU operatives. Please assemble at Root as quickly as you can," Hiruzen asked. The guards nodded, and teleported out of the room to fulfill their leaders orders.

* * *

Naruto was in shock. He couldn't believe that he had just done that. One moment he was looking into the eyes of none other than Minato Namikaze, and the next he was lip locked with the man before he even knew what he was doing. When his actions finally registered, Naruto pulled back, and screamed. The successions of Naruto's actions were so quick, Minato couldn't keep up. It wasn't until he found himself on the ground that he realized that Naruto had just kissed him.

" Gah! What the hell? What was that for!?" Naruto continued to scream. Naruto's accusatory tone only served to piss off Minato. Getting up, Minato looked shocked before yelling back. " What do you mean? You're the one that kissed ME! Ugh you're such an idiot!" Naruto looked like he was going to reply but then understood that he was the one that initiated the kiss. At that realization, Naruto suddenly grew quiet.

Minato didn't know if it was out of shame, or confusion, but suddenly Naruto grew quiet. He continued to look at the boy lying on the bed expecting an explanation. When nothing came, Minato chose to just let it go for now. He walked over to the sliding entrance to the room, before turning around. " I will be over to get you at 8 tomorrow morning. Be ready to go," he said before leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts.

Naruto continued to look at the door where the other man had exited. Naruto was honestly sad that he was alone once again, but he knew that had the roles been reversed, he would have probably left as well. That kiss. Naruto couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. Why did the damn thing even happen? He didn't have an answer for himself. All he knew is that he kept reliving that moment where his lips met Minato's. It was like the moment kept replaying itself in his mind. He explicitly remembered how he took Minato's plump bottom lip into his mouth, and savored the feeling before he realized what he had done.

He remembered the bliss he felt by being so close to Minato. He remembered the anxiety that rooted itself in the back of his mind. He remembered so much, but he couldn't figure out what made him feel all of these emotions. What caused them to appear?

Naruto was swarmed with questions about himself, but it then that his intense exhaustion caught up with him. Even thought he slept well, he was still tired and knew that he needed to rest. Deciding to push away any other thoughts that didn't relate to rest, Naruto quickly fell back into a deep slumber.

Kneeling in front of Hiruzen was a group of about 40-50 unassigned ANBU operatives. Their silence, and stillness only further accentuating the deadly capabilities each and every one of them carried. He stood at the head of the room, and continued to gaze out at the sea of masks that stared back. Hiruzen had thought deeply about how he was going to state his orders, because he didn't want to cause a panic. To this day, the Kyuubi still strung a chord of primal fear in civilians, and ninja alike. How was he supposed to tell them that suddenly the beast had up, and disappeared?

Hiruzen cleared his throat, and prepared to speak. " Thank you all for assembling so quickly. I understand that with every mission you put your lives on the line for your village. You are the elite for Konoha, and you are those who specialize in working in the shadows. That is why I have asked you to be brought before me today. I have a mission that surpasses even S-rank, and you are the only ones whom I trust to complete it," Hiruzen began. His words seemed to evoke anticipation within the crowd, but no one moved or said a work. The operatives patiently awaited their orders from the Hokage.

Deciding to relieve them of anymore waiting, Hiruzen just came right out and said it. " It seems that the Kyuubi that was sealed away in a member of our own village, has now gone missing. I do not have any answers as to how this happened, but this is what I do know. The Kyuubi's vessel is still safe within the village and seemingly unharmed. That raises the question that you are all probably thinking right now. Where is the Kyuubi? I want you to search every inch of the Land of Fire, and find the beast. That is all. Now, disperse!" Hiruzen finished.

At his last word, every single operative mobilized and set out for a location within the Fire Country. Hiruzen knew that they would not fail, or at least they couldn't. That beast was too destructive to be allowed to run rampant. Now, the only thing Hiruzen could do is wait.

Looking off into the distance, Hiruzen continued to plan for what was to come. His thoughts were interrupted by the appearance of his old teammate, and elder of Konoha. Danzo Shimura. Hiruzen knew that he would run into him eventually. Whereas he thought that morals, and ethics were important in the every day activities of ninja, Danzo felt that doing what was best for the village as a whole without the burdens of morals, or ethics was the way to lead a village. This often led to conflict between the two, but Hiruzen always had a soft spot for his former teammate.

" Danzo, it is good to see you, old friend," Hiruzen stated rather affectionately with a smile on his face. Danzo said nothing at first, didn't even acknowledge that Hiruzen had said anything. Hiruzen knew that his old friend would say something eventually, so he chose to simply look at the stars until he did. Sure enough, Danzo eventually spoke. " How could you have let this happen Hiruzen!? That demon is the only thing ensuring the peace between our village, and the others and you just let it slip away?" Danzo questioned accusatorially.

Hiruzen smiled at that. It was enduring to know that even though change couldn't be halted, something, or rather someone, would remain the same throughout the seasons. " Danzo, you know as well as I that Kushina is under every form of noninvasive protection imaginable. We cannot continue to focus on what we did wrong, but instead focus on how to correct the mistake. That is why I have ordered this search," Hiruzen replied.

Danzo couldn't believe that he had just heard. " I know? I KNOW? Tell me what do I know Hiruzen? I know that you have always been soft for sob cases such as that girl. You allowed her to take missions outside of the village walls, you extended her a freedom that ultimately led to this very moment!" Danzo finished irately.

Hiruzen was quickly tiring of his teammates tone, and decided to end the conversation before it turned bitter. " That girl is exactly that, a girl! Danzo, you could not expect me to make her, a ninja, miserable by not allowing her to participate in the life of the ninja. Besides, this doesn't even appear to be an external matter, but an internal one instead," Hiruzen said before continuing. " Danzo, I have given my orders. Do not fail to report any information your receive to me or I promise, you will regret it," Hiruzen finished before starting to walk to the village.

Danzo stood silently watching Hiruzen walk away. You couldn't tell from the outside, but Danzo's mind was running wild with gears grinding away trying to formulate his next move.

* * *

Minato didn't do much with the rest of his day once he left Naruto. He ran basic errands that a ninja would need to run to keep his arsenal ready, and his body sharp. One could say that he was trying to avoid thinking about what happened in Naruto's hospital room. That kiss really…..affected him to say the least. When it happened, he kind of panicked because he didn't know what to do, but oddly enough he wasn't repulsed by it like he thought he would be. More so he was weirded out by the circumstances.

Minato, much to the amusement of his fellow ninja, hadn't really been through his sexual awakening as of yet, and there was a good reason for that. Yes, in the life of a ninja, relationships often progressed quickly due to the idea that you or your partner might die, but that doesn't mean that had to apply to everyone. Minato thought that he would know when he had met someone worth it, and to this point he hadn't.

That is where Minato ran into trouble. While going through all of this introspection, he couldn't ignore the nagging fear that itched the back of his mind at the thought of what he saw Naruto turn into. That creature was terrifying, and it looks as if it were weakened. What would it do if it were allowed to run rampant at full strength? The thought made Minato cringe. Here he was possibly finding someone whom he could explore himself with, and the was also scared of that same man.

Minato brought his hands to his face, and rubbed his eyes in irritation. He knew that he shouldn't be having any of these thoughts. Naruto was an outsider, and on top of that a monster. Minato hoped he could complete this mission without any extraneous circumstances arising, because if they did….who knew what he would do. " Ugh! That's it!" Minato growled in frustration. He started to storm down the road towards his apartment until tomorrow when he would be put to the test, and see whether or not he would have the strength to survive what was to come.

* * *

 **Author's Note!- Well! I hope you enjoyed that** **awko-taco chapter because I sure did! XD Please remember to review, and feel free to PM me with any questions, or concerns; even if it's about my obvious lack of sanity! OH BTW MY really good amiga Jess wishes me to tell you all HIII! Love you guys, and until next time! Ciao! 3**


	11. A Date Or Not A Date?

**Hello everyone! So you guys have been much more involved with leaving reviews, and I can't thank you enough! The road only gets harder from here so I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Kyuubi **-"Bold Text"**

Narration & Speech-"Regular Text"

Thoughts-" _Italics"_

* * *

Minato felt hazy. It was as if the concept of clarity was gone from the world, and there was nothing but foggy comprehension. Images flashed before his eyes as if he were watching a collaboration of all the events that had taken place in his life. An image would appear, linger, and then fade away back into the oblivion that existed around him.

The past few days had really done a number on him, and Minato was beginning to feel his body, and mind drag due to the strain. As a result, he found it difficult to think clearly about even the most simple of happenings. Flashes of monsters, red, and blue eyes began to dance before his eyes. The colors were so vibrant that Minato didn't notice when he had begun to hold his breath in fascination.

"What is this?" Minato thought out loud.

The images of cerulean eyes, red tails, and a vicious face continued to dance with each other; seemingly intertwining, and separating from one another. Minato continued to watch the eternal dance for what seemed like forever before a name began to itch at the back of his mind.

" _Naruto_ " his mind whispered to him.

"Naruto?" Minato asked to the dark. What did Naruto have to do with any of this? The boy was trouble, and Minato knew it. His life had been so simple not just a couple days ago, and then he had to come across that boy in the woods.

" _I should have just finished him off,"_ Minato thought to himself. There was a problem with that statement thought. As much as he wanted to believe that statement, that it would have been the right thing to do; he couldn't bring himself to believe it as the truth.

Maybe it's because he knew in his heart that it wasn't the truth.

Suddenly the images began to become turbulent, and started to shift once more. Their dance was disrupted as more, and more visions of Naruto began to fill the space in Minato's line of sight. Pictures of Naruto laughing, in pain, unconscious, pictures of him smiling, and also pictures of him….blushing? For a moment, Minato was confused as to why he would have been around Naruto when he was blushing, but then remembered the situation he found himself in not only yesterday.

Memories began to flood not only Minato's vision, but also his sense of touch. He felt a ghost across his lips, and the sensation of soft golden locks in his hands. He felt a strong, toned back, and a vague pain in his ass.

As all of these sensations began to flood him, one in particular stood out from all the rest. It was the feeling of soft, supple lips against his own. The memory was fleeting, but for some reason it left Minato wanting more. He reached out for the image, but his hand simply phased through it as if it wasn't there at all.

At this point, Minato didn't really know what he was doing, but he knew that he wanted to experience the feeling of Naruto's lips against his once more. He wanted more.

Once again, the images began to change in front of Minato, but this time it was different. Instead of reconfiguring into another set of images, the images began to collect together into a shape of some sort.

Minato couldn't help but stare in awe at what was occurring. The images had finished shifting around. Eyes wide in shock, Minato couldn't believe that he was staring at Naruto!

" Naruto? What are you doing here?" Minato asked quickly as his heart felt like it was going to beat out of his chest.

Naruto didn't say a single word as he began to walk towards Minato. His steps were eerily silent as the distance between the two men grew less, and less. Minato couldn't think. His mind went blank at the first sight of the boy that had caused him so much trouble the past few days. Minato noticed that he was trembling, but he couldn't make himself stop. It was as if he had lost complete control of his own body. Even so, he wasn't scared and that is what intrigued Minato the most.

It was that he realized that he was _thrilled._

Naruto had finally reached Minato's feet, and Minato's breath hitched. Naruto then moved to crouch by where Minato was sitting. Raising a hand, he placed his tan palm on the soft skin on Minato's cheek. Naruto didn't move for a while after that. Minato simply stared into the oceanic depths that were Naruto's eyes. Minato knew that he could easily get lost in those eyes, but also knew that there was a danger that lurked deep down inside of Naruto. That didn't stop him from wanting to move closer though.

Minato sensed that the distance between him and Naruto was closing, and he finally managed to let out a ragged breath that he didn't know he had been holding. The closeness he was experiencing seemed to ease Minato for some reason, and the thought itself confused him even more.

Naruto continued to move closer, and closer. The space between their lips getting smaller, and smaller. It wasn't until Minato could practically feel Naruto's nose on his that he finally closed his eyes, and waited for what was to come.

The wait was excruciating, and time felt like it was moving through molasses to Minato. He was just about to reach out, and smash his lips to the other blonde's when he finally felt the gentle caress of Naruto's lips against his own. Minato moaned into the kiss. He was in pure bliss.

Minato knew that something was wrong, but at the current moment, he couldn't be bothered. He was to enraptured with the feel of his lips against Naruto's soft, supple ones. When Minato began to struggle for breath, he slowly began to pull away from Naruto. Moving his eyes back up to Naruto's, Minato gassed in shock before pulling away completely.

The right half of Naruto's face had turned completely black along with his right eye turning red. Images of the other day flashed in his mind, and Minato scrambled to stand.

" What the hell?" Minato all but screamed.

It took all his years of being a ninja to not immediately panic at the sight before him. One moment he was trading sweet kisses with Naruto, then the next Naruto had become a beast. Thoughts swarmed Minato's head. Why is this happening? Why did Naruto manifest in his mind? So many other questions made themselves known, but the one that stood out the most is the one that made Minato the most curious. What _was_ Naruto?

Naruto merely watched as Minato continued to take slight retreating steps away from him. By this time, Naruto's right side had been completely enveloped in that vile chakra-face, body and all.

Minato immediately went tense. This was not good, and he knew it. He had witnessed Naruto practically level part of the hospital in this form. If he wasn't careful, he could die. The mere thought scared Minato more than anything. He refused to die before becoming the Hokage, and yet despite his resolve, he couldn't deny the threat that stood a mere couple of feet away.

Minato pulled out a kunai, and got into his best fighting stance. Naruto, or rather the being that Naruto had become flinched at the sudden movement. Getting up from its crouching position, the being got on all fours. Minato watched as it looked like Naruto was about to attack.

Muscles tensing, Minato's mind raced to find several counters that would be effective. He didn't have much time to think before Naruto raced at him with unimaginable speed. In a mere flash, Naruto was in front of Minato about to strike.

Minato could only watch as he attempted a futile block. Naruto's clawed hand was about to make contact, and Minato knew it would be the end of this fight- if you could even call this a fight.

Just as Naruto's clawed hand was about to make contact with his chest, Minato's world suddenly went black.

* * *

Jerking upright in his bed, Minato's eyes darted around the room to try and lock on to the being that was attacking him, but instead found nothing other than his own belongings. Minato's eyes frowned in confusion before he realized that everything he had just experienced was a dream. It had never happened-well in reality that is.

Minato was disoriented to say the least. His pillows, and blankets were drenched in sweat from the scare he had experienced earlier. After rubbing the crust out of the corners of his eyes, Minato looked over to his alarm clock to see that is was 6:13am. Minato simply stared at the clock before ultimately deciding to get out of bed, and take a shower to prepare for his upcoming meeting with Naruto.

…..Naruto. That boy seemed to haunt him even in his dreams. A faint blush peppered Minato's cheeks as he began to remember the events prior to Naruto transforming into a monster. He felt a ghost over his lips and immediately thought of the kiss that he and Naruto shared in the hospital. Minato brought his right hand to his lips as him mind shifted to the searing kiss that they shared in his dream.

While seemingly lost in his thoughts, Minato didn't really notice the twitches of interest that were taking place in his cock. As his member began to swell with blood and become more sensitive, Minato was finally pulled out of his thoughts. Looking down at his crotch, Minato practically glared at where his body seemed to betray him.

" _Ugh not now!"_ Minato thought to himself.

There was absolutely no way that he was getting involved with that boy. Not only was he possibly a danger to Konoha, but he was also another boy.

" _Even hypothetically it is still wrong. My attraction to Naruto is simply a result of my blatant lack of sexual activity, and hormones. I am only 15 after all"_ Minato justified to himself.

Deciding to just ignore his pretty noticeable problem, Minato moved to get out of bed. He took leisurely strides to the bathroom where he discarded his sweat ridden clothes into the hamper that stood behind the door. Turning on the water, Minato adjusted the temperature to his liking before stepping into the warm stream. The feeling of the warm water hitting his face, and running down his body was enough to help him relax after that dream.

Minato went through this usual shower routine; washing his hair, body, and ridding himself of any residual dirt before turning off the water. He opened the shower curtain and pulled a towel off the hanger and dried himself off before securing the towel around his hips.

Stepping over to the mirror, Minato went about his morning endeavors before he had to meet up with Naruto.

* * *

Naruto woke to the sound of a nurse opening the sliding door to his room to perform her morning check up. As she walked over, Naruto sat up in bed as he already knew the procedure from the day before. She recorded her vitals, and asked him about any residual pain from the other day, and he gave her the same answers he did before.

If he were being completely honest, Naruto felt completely and utterly fine. No pain, no soreness, nothing. Looking at the clock next to his bed, Naruto saw that he had about an hour before Minato would be over to collect him.

Deciding that he didn't want to piss off the other blond-who could cause more problems for him- Naruto decided to get up and prepare for his day. Minato hadn't said what he wanted to do with him, but Naruto really hoped it had something to do with sparring, or training. He was dying to be able to actually do something that was productive. All he had done since his arrival was get hurt, ill, and spend more time in the hospital.

Once the nurse had gotten all the information she needed, she left. As soon as the door slid shut behind her, Naruto shot out of bed, and immediately made a b-line towards the bathroom. Here he rinsed his face, and brushed his teeth.

Feeling refreshed, Naruto saw that someone had brought him breakfast while he was busy in the bathroom. He munched on an apple, and ate his oatmeal not wanting to do anything too strenuous on an empty stomach. While eating the food, and deciding that it was awfully bland, Naruto decided that after he was done with whatever Minato had planned, he was going to eat his weight at Ichiraku's.

Naruto was just pulling on his new uniform when Minato slid open his door. The two blond's mere looked at each other before Naruto looked away muttering " Good morning". Minato simply nodded before asking if Naruto was ready to go.

" Yeah I am ready. Please lead me away from this hell hole," Naruto groaned while somehow keeping an excited energy.

This elicited a small smile from Minato before the older blond elaborated as to what they were doing this morning.

" I have been given orders to assess your skills and give a detailed report to the Hokage, so we will be spending the day at the training grounds," Minato began to explain. " Don't think that you have any restrictions, because you don't. Treat me like an enemy shinobi, and expect me to do the same," Minato finally finished.

Seeing that Minato wasn't planning on adding anything, Naruto just chose to nod in comprehension. At that, Minato motioned for them to finally leave that damned room. As Naruto finally stepped outside of the hospital and felt the warmth of the sun against his whiskered cheeks once more, his excitement spiked.

He felt rejuvenated, but at the same time odd. He couldn't quite place the feeling, but Naruto put it off after seeing that Minato had continued to walk on towards the village gates without him.

" Hey! Minato! What the hell? Wait up!" Naruto screamed as he ran to catch up with the older blond. Minato simply continued on his path, not paying any attention to the loud boy that had finally realized that he had left without him.

* * *

When they had finally reached the training grounds, Minato immediately motioned for Naruto to take a fighting stance. " Remember, give me everything you have. More than likely, I will be able to handle your best anyway," Minato stated rather coyly. Naruto visibly bristled at the statement, but said nothing as he focused on the older blond before him.

The two boys settled into defensive stances, and began the stare down that preceded the actual battle. Neither of them moved, but kept their keep eyes on each other for even the slightest muscle tension that would indicate an attack.

Minato was the first one to move, charging rapidly at Naruto to attempt a frontal attack. Naruto immediately made the requisite hand signs before shouting, " Multi-Shadow Clone jutsu!" and brought well over 100 other Naruto's into existence.

Naruto watched as Minato halted immediately to take in what he was seeing. It was impressive for the average person to produce one, or two clones, and up to 6-10 for Jounin, and higher level shinobi. But this many? This was far beyond the capacity of any normal shinobi. This fact set Minato on edge.

" _Just what is this kid?_ " Minato asked himself. The amount of chakra that it must have took to produce this number of clones had to be massive, and yet Naruto didn't even look phased.

Seeing that Minato was still trying to figure out what to do, Naruto chose to take action. Sending 10 clones Naruto quickly began to scatter about his multitude of clones to hide himself in the midst of all the fakes.

Minato snapped out of his amazement when he saw the 10 clones charging their way to him. Getting into a fighting stance, he lashed out at the first clone. He delivered a fast punch to the stomach, and watched while being satisfied as the clone disappeared into a puff of smoke. The other clones were more cautious of him after that, but the thrill of this being a challenge for him excited Minato.

The clones surrounded Minato, and began their diversionary tactics. Attacking simultaneously, they Minato didn't have a chance to do much else other than defend. Even with his speed he was being backed into a corner, and Minato knew it. Minato sensed kunai being thrown at him and skillfully dodged them as they flew right past his head.

That was his mistake. The kunai never made it to the ground, and instead happened to be a transformed Naruto that changed back into his original form to deliver a powerful kick to Minato's back that sent him flying to the ground. What happened was a blur but as he tried to get off the ground, he was flipped over, and the next thing he knew he had a young blond straddling him with a kunai pressed to his jugular.

Shocked. Purely shocked is what Minato was. He had gone into this spar thinking that Naruto wouldn't be much of a fight by himself. No. To his knowledge Naruto was only dangerous when he transformed into whatever monster that seemed to share his body.

But here he was, with Naruto straddling him clearly winning the spar.

Naruto was grinning at him. It was a slightly smug grin, but mostly one of pure….glee? Minato wouldn't have thought it genuine but the look on the boys face was so pure that it must have been real. Naruto must have been having a lot of fun being able to get out and battle someone. It made Minato want to know more about the battle that seemingly got him sent here, but he decided to save that conversation for another time.

"Okay I get it. You're strong. Would you mind getting off of me now?" Minato asked while attempting to emulate a nonchalant tone.

Naruto frowned at his request, but got off nonetheless. As he got to his feet, Naruto offered Minato his hand to help him up, and Minato reluctantly took it.

" Well I got the information that I needed. I am going to go report to Lord Third. You are free to go back to your apartment, and stay there until I visit you next," Minato stated bluntly.

As he began to turn to walk away from Naruto, suddenly a hand was jerking him around and he was met with deep cerulean eyes once more.

" What do you want?" Minato asked in a slightly irritated tone.

Naruto just looked at him, more like stared at him before his focused look softened into one of slight anxiety. Naruto no longer met his gaze, but instead looked at the ground between their feet. When Naruto finally spoke up, Minato was not expecting him to request what he did.

" Would you mind stopping by later after your report? I could-um….make you dinner or something? I kind of would like to have someone around since I don't have good luck with staying well apparently," Naruto asked in a tone what both sheepish, and somewhat daring.

Minato was taken aback by the statement. Of all the things that Naruto could have asked of him, he wanted his company? The idea made a slight smile pull at the corner of his lips before replying to the younger blond.

" Sure I don't have anything to do after the report. Just make sure you don't cook anything. The last time you tried you basically poisoned yourself. Neither of us need to end up in the hospital if we can help it," Minato finished with a teasing tone.

With that he leaped into the trees and began his journey to the Hokage's Mansion. Minato was thinking about a lot of things, but was it strange that he felt slightly giddy that he was supposed to meet up with Naruto after all of this?

He sure thought so.

* * *

 **Authors Note-Well there you go. Chapter 11. If any of you are loving it, please leave a review, or if you have any questions that need to be covered, just let me know! Oh! HAPPY NEW YEARS YOU FILTHY SMUT LOVIN' ANIMALS! 3 XD**


	12. Reports and Romanticism

**Hello again guys! So here I am, writing this a couple days after I posted the last chapter. Truth be told, I realize that I am having some troubles with posting consistently, but believe me when I say that I am going to start adhering to a two week wait at most for uploads. Well anyway, here the next chapter! Enjoy!**

 **Kyuubi-" Bold Text"**

Narration & Dialogue-" Regular Text"

Thoughts-" _Italics"_

* * *

During his trip to the Hokage's mansion, Minato contemplated what he was going to tell the Lord Third. To be completely honest, he was quite embarrassed at the outcome of the match. Naruto had managed to not only surprise him completely, but he had also managed to win the damn spar. Minato's teeth grit in irritation at the fact that he had lost to someone who was a Genin, when Minato himself was already a Chunin. He recalled that comment he had mad about the spar, " not lasting long," and him being able to " take anything Naruto had," and Minato recoiled again.

" _Okay fine. The kid has some skills. It's not like he his going to swipe the title of Hokage from me in the future or anything,_ " Minato tried to rationalize as he realized himself becoming increasingly irrational.

Minato decided that he would just drop the subject for now since he was expected to give a detailed, and unbiased report to the leader of the village. He didn't have time for any petty internal battles. Right now, he needed to remain composed, and calm. If he didn't, then there was the possibility that the Lord Third would have Naruto removed from being his charge.

Minato stopped dead in his tracks at that revelation. Naruto being removed from his supervision? Much to Minato's dismay, he was oddly relieved, and horrified at that possibility.

Since Naruto arrived, Minato didn't really know what he was doing anymore, or how he truly felt about the boy. On one hand, Minato saw that Naruto was a genuine, kind, and loving individual that must have dealt with some intense struggles in life; and that is what shaped who he was today. On the other, Minato was still terrified of the beast that Naruto had become. The Lord Third had placed Naruto in his care to try and see if he could manage to get some answers out of him, but so far Minato hadn't managed to get a single detail other than his battle abilities.

On top of all of this, Minato was having these…. _feelings_ towards Naruto that were completely misplaced. He thought back to the kiss that they shared in the hospital room, and a tingling sensation began in his lips once more. Then there was the dream that had occurred last night. Minato still didn't know how to process what happened. Why had Naruto shown up there? Why had the boy kissed him? Why did _he_ kiss back? Things were just so confusing, and it angered Minato that there didn't seem to be an obvious answer to this problem.

Minato realized that he was still standing still standing still, and began walking towards his destination once more. He barely paid any attention as he took the necessary left's, and right's to get him to the mansion. Before he knew it, Minato was walking past the gates that sectioned off the Mansion from the rest of the village. As he passed into the mansion itself, Minato made sure that he was composed enough to have a conversation about Naruto with the Hokage.

Before he knew it, Minato was standing in front of the Hokage's office. Right behind the door that was staring him in the face, was the man that has volunteered him for all of agony. Minato knew he was probably being dramatic, but the fact still stood that his life was so much easier before he had to start taking care of Naruto. Now, he was full of conflicting emotions, and turmoil. Minato didn't like it.

He knocked on the door, and was quickly met with the gruff sound of the Lord Third telling him to come in. He pushed the door open, walked in, and shut the door before walking to stand directly in front of the Hokage's desk.

At first, the older man simply studied Minato before he thankfully broke the intense silence that had been filling the room.

" So, Minato, tell me what you have discovered about Naruto," Hiruzen rasped out. Not that Minato would know, but Hiruzen had been dreading the report. Truth be told, he had really waned Minato to deliver a positive report that gave the Hokage grounds to allow Naruto to remain within the village.

There were many ninja that Hiruzen had the pleasure of knowing, but there was just something about Naruto that lifted the old man's spirits. People like that were valuable in the the ninja world, because they were the ones that would become great leaders one day; respected by everyone around them.

Minato quickly began to gather all the data that he analyzed during the battle before he spoke.

" Hokage-sama, I would like to start off by saying that I decided to report to you just after our first spar concluded," Minato stated formally. Hiruzen's eyebrows raised in interest before gesturing for Minato to continue. " As far as his abilities go, Naruto's preferred fighting style is one that is concentric around taijutsu. During our spar, he managed to back me into a corner by drawing my attention away with shadow clones, and while I was distracted, ended the spar by debilitating me. At this point I should state that he has demonstrated a mastery of the Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu. His abilities in genjutsu, or ninjutsu are unknown as he preferred a blunt physical force tactic during out spar, so more time would be needed to record the full extend of his abilities," Minato finally concluded.

" _That boy has mastered a technique of that level!?_ " Hiruzen thought startled. Though he kept his face neutral, the Hokage's mind was racing. The fact that Minato was telling him that Naruto seemed to have defeated him in a spar was surprising due to the fact that Minato was his generations most promising ninja. Then there was the question of how Naruto seemed to have knowledge of one of Konoha's high level techniques.

" _Seems that Naruto is much more than he seems…"_ Hiruzen thought to himself.

Once he had delivered his report, Minato knew that the Hokage was taking in every single word that he was saying. He had to. This was the point where Naruto would be deemed a threat, or not to the village. If he was, then Naruto would would be swiftly executed. If he wasn't, then what was to come next was to be determined.

Naruto showed exceptional skills, so the possibility that he could start ANBU training was present. If the Hokage decided against that, then Naruto would most likely be assigned to a genin team so that he could participate in the upcoming Chunin exams. Truth be heard, Minato was incredibly curious to know what Lord Third would decide.

" What about his mental stability? How does he socialize with those around him?" Hiruzen asked next.

Once again, Minato took a minute to gather his thoughts before responding.

" Naruto is pretty outgoing, Hokage-sama. When a challenge his proposed, he gladly accepts, and performs to the best of his ability. In fact, one might even go as far to say that Naruto is a bit over the top, and loud. He hasn't said a word about his past, so not much is known about that," Minato said as he began to conclude. " All in all, I wouldn't think that Naruto would have any mental conflicts with the village, nor its inhabitants," he said as he finally finished.

Hiruzen's gaze was still locked on to Minato's face to ensure that he was getting a full report, but unlike his first response, Minato seemed to know of something that he wasn't reporting.

" Is that all you have to say, Minato?" Hiruzen said as he tried to coerce Minato into telling him.

Minato visibly stiffened, and lost some color in his face before he exhaled and began again.

" Uhh, well after I finish up this report, I am supposed to go over to Naruto's apartment for dinner, and to keep him company. He asked me to before I came here to deliver my report. I was thinking of indulging him so that I could gather more information," he stated as he tried to remain steady through his lie.

Minato knew that he was establishing some kind of connection with the younger blond, but he had yet to determine what the nature of said connection was. He was having dreams of him, and Naruto engaging in-well….intimate acts, but that didn't mean anything, right? He _was_ a teenager that was currently going through massive hormonal changes after all. There were plenty of reasons that he could be experiencing these attractions other than him actually liking Naruto. That was impossible.

Hiruzen watched in interest as Minato seems to withdraw into himself as be began talking about his plans with Naruto after this meeting. If he didn't know any better, he would think that Minato was developing some feelings for the younger blond. The thought wasn't completely out of the blue though. When people spent excessive amount of time around each other, it was natural for them to develop feelings for each other.

In the ninja world, happiness with another person was difficult to find. Usually one member of a relationship would be claimed by death on a mission, or during war. Hardly did anyone experience long term happiness with the person they loved. That is just how things are. That being said, it is because of that fact, that people tried to grasp at happiness with all their might; regardless of the type of relationship.

Hiruzen thought about Minato's history, and was surprised that he could't think of a single time that the boy appeared to be interested in anyone of either sex. The idea of Minato becoming interested in little Naruto intrigued Hiruzen to the point where he broke out into a wide grin. " _Minato would be good for Naruto. Whereas the Naruto is outgoing and rambunctious, Minato is reserved, and within himself. They would balance out each other nicely,"_ Hiruzen thought.

Hiruzen realized that he had gotten lost in his thoughts, and left Minato to awkwardly stand in front him while remaining silent. " Well I am glad that you seem to be getting along. Maybe you two could become-ugh-good friends," Hiruzen stated before he could correct himself. As Minato cast him a strange glance, Hiruzen dismissed the boy so he could sit with his thoughts to determine what he was going to do with Naruto.

* * *

As Minato shut the door behind him, he let out a long exhale. That had gone surprisingly smooth considering how rocky it could have been. He was glad that Lord Third kept his questions fairly concentric around Naruto's performance. Minato's attention was then taken back to when Lord Third made his comment about him, and Naruto becoming "good friends". If Minato wasn't mistaken, the tone that the Hokage used when he said that was quite amused, and curious. That worried Minato.

Moving the thought for later, Minato brought his attention to the situation at hand. He was supposed to meet Naruto for dinner. The realization of the idea hit Minato with full force as he halted completely in his tracks. He was going to go to Naruto's apartment…..for dinner. Minato internally face palmed. How had he not realized? It was then when another idea struck Minato. " _Wait! Did Naruto think that this was a date?_ " he asked himself in surprise.

The mere thought was enough to make Minato start sweating. That would explain a lot of Naruto's behavior towards Minato. The kiss, and now asking him over for some one-on-one time. What else were people supposed to think? As he continued to piece together Naruto's intentions, Minato couldn't help but to be curious to the idea of getting to know the boy more.

Up to this point, Minato had been quite short with him. It isn't like he didn't have a reason though. Naruto just appeared out of nowhere, and then turned into some awful monster. He had every right to be reserved.

Just as Minato would bring up a decent point about keeping a distance between him and Naruto, something in his chest would stir, and he would find himself wanting to do the opposite; hence why he was going to see him.

Minato sighed and brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. All he wanted was to be able to sort out his feeling about Naruto, but that seemed to get harder, and harder every day. Should he just talk to him? Would he even open up? So many questions flooded his mind at once, and they threatened to give him a migraine if he continued to think about Naruto, and all the tangents that thinking about the boy could create.

Minato pulled himself out of his thoughts and decided to focus on what he had to do to prepare for going to Naruto's later. Lifting his arms, Minato sniffed to see if his body odor was bad enough to require a shower; it was. Flaring his nose at the unpleasant smell, he quickly put his arms down, and took the rooftops to expedite his journey home.

As he bounded from rooftop to rooftop, Minato secretly wished that he would be able to get to know Naruto better during their…..date.

* * *

Naruto watched as Minato began to sprint away from their sparring field; feeling giddy after finding out that his offer wasn't rejected.

He quickly noted that he had worked up quite a sweat during the spar, and was able to smell himself. Thinking about all the things he had to do to get ready, Naruto broke out into a full sprint towards his apartment. He observed the multitudes of people that riddled the streets, and for the first time he took a long look. Naruto still didn't know what happened when he passed out after fighting Sasuke, but this was not the same Konoha that he was used to.

No, this place was completely different. The people here didn't look at him with those _eyes_. They didn't spit at him, and call him a monster. Instead, they didn't even seem to pay him any attention, or know who he was. Naruto liked it. He liked being able to go out and about without being afraid of what people would do him if he ever got cornered.

For whatever reason, this was a different Konoha. There were distinct differences, but Naruto couldn't say that he disliked it. He still had his Jiji here, and-well possibly Minato too. Naruto couldn't help but smile when he thought of the other blond. Minato was so elegant, and confident that it was impossible for Naruto to not enjoy his company.

Just like everyone else, Minato seemed to more interested Naruto rather than what was sealed within him; not that he knew that Naruto was the Kyuubi's jinchuriki. They had some falling outs, and uh-awkard moments, but Naruto sensed that Minato held no hostility towards him; no hate. It was because of that fact, that Naruto's heart fluttered when he thought of the older boy.

Naruto noticed that he had arrived at his apartment, and unlocked the door while stepping inside. Immediately, Naruto noticed that he had to do some cleaning before Minato's arrival.

Making the requisite hand signs, Naruto summoned several shadow clones to help him out with the cleaning so he could focus on making himself look good for Minato. As three puffs of smoke began to clear, three clones stood before Naruto awaiting his orders.

" Okay guys, listen up! Minato will be over soon, so we need to get this place looking nice! You," he said as he pointed to the first of the clones, " I am sorry to do this, but it seems that the pile of puke that I laid in before going to hospital is still there so I will need you to clean that up along with opening all of the windows to help get rid of the smell," Naruto finished while he scrunched up his nose. " Next," he began while turning to the second clone, " I need you to do the dished and put everything away that is not where it is supposed to be," Naruto stated. " Finally, I will need you to start getting food ready for dinner. Make something light because after my epic failure, I doubt that Minato will eat anything that I prepare," Naruto concluded.

After getting a nod of comprehension, Naruto turned, and made his way to the bathroom. He walked over to the shower, and set the water temperature to his preferred temp, and began to strip down into nothing. Once out of his reeking clothing, Naruto stepped into the hot stream, and moaned as the water helped ease his tense shoulders. Naruto simply basked in the heat of the water before moving to wash his hair. He squeezed a dollop of shampoo into this palm, and began to massage his head until it was completely lathered. Moving under water once more, Naruto washed the sudsy mess out of his hair.

Naruto finished his routine, and once he felt adequately clean, he shut off the water, and stepped out of the shower while grabbing a towel to dry himself off. Starting with his hair, Naruto scrubbed the absorbent material through his hair until he felt it was dry enough, and began to rub down his body to remove any excess water.

Naruto moved to stand in front of the bathroom mirror, and saw that his hair was already beginning to stand up into its signature spike. Knowing that there was no hope for his hair, Naruto let out defeated sigh before pulling out his toothbrush to brush his teeth. Once he rinsed out the rest of the toothpaste, Naruto moved to floss to make sure that his breath would remain fresh during his get-together with Minato. He didn't want to do anything that would gross the older blond out.

Once Naruto had finished all of his primping, he set out to see what his clones had managed to accomplish. Taking his first step into the hallway from the bathroom, Naruto say that the vomit had been cleaned up like he asked, and now the floor was shiny and clean once more. Pleased that this hadn't taken too much time, Naruto began walking towards the kitchen to check the status of his other two clones.

As he walked in, Naruto was pleased to find that all of the dirty dishes had been washed, and put away in the cabinets. The only clone that remained was the one that was preparing the light appetizers for the boys. Curious as to what the clone was making, Naruto walked over the clone what was clad in an apron, and slicing something. Upon further inspection, Naruto discovered that his clone had already prepared some spicy edamame, and was now preparing some plain Gyoza that were to be served with white steamed rice.

The food looked absolutely delicious, and Naruto was ecstatic at the thought of Minato enjoying his cooking. Hopefully this time, he wouldn't manage to find a way to end up back in the hospital; again.

Naruto had dismissed his clone when the food was ready, and was placing the food on the table when he heard several consecutive knocks at his door. His spirits immediately lifting even more, Naruto ran over to the mirror located in the living room, and checked over his appearance once more to make sure he looked presentable. He was clad in some clothes that Minato had given him; regular blue shinobi pants, and a tight fitting black mesh shirt. It wasn't too formal, nor too relaxed.

Deciding that he was ready for Minato, Naruto quickly shot to the door. Opening it Naruto quickly greeted the other blond.

" Hey!" Naruto greeted before he went silent at Minato's appearance.

* * *

As Minato finished drying off after his shower, he immediately went to his bedroom to see what he had to wear that would be appropriate for this type of get-together. Pulling open the first drawer on his dresser, Minato pulled out the first pair of boxers that he found. He put them on so quickly that he didn't even notice that the boxers were clad in a pattern of naruto spreading out the entirety of the fabric.

Moving to his closet, Minato opened the doors to see what he had that wasn't too  
shinobi-centric. His eyes fell on some regular black jeans that he had bought out of impulse because he just couldn't help himself. Pulling the pants out, he quickly put them on, and began looking for a shirt that accentuate his features nicely.

After about fifteen minutes of searching, Minato's eyes landed on the perfect navy blue button up shirt. it was not patterned, but a solid color. Minato laid the shirt out and scrutinized the piece of fabric to the best of his ability before deciding that he would indeed wear the shirt.

Once Minato had put on some deodorant, and a spritz of his favorite cologne, Minato finally put on his button up, and took a look in the mirror. To say the least, Minato looked fantastic! His jeans, and shirt went perfectly together. Minato's eyes landed on his sleeves. Noting that it was quite warm outside, he decided to rollup his sleeves to not only help keep a bit more cool, but to also make him look a bit for edgy.

Satisfied with his appearance, Minato set out for Naruto's apartment. He hadn't told Naruto, but Minato lived all of 5 minutes away from him, even when you were traveling by feet. The people of the village were out, and about; selling their wares and goods. Minato smiled as he saw a group of kids playing with a ball, and remembered his days in the academy when he would do that with his friends.

Minato continued to observe the village, and all the sights it had to offer before he found himself at Naruto's doorstep. Giving the wood a few firm knocks, Minato patiently awaited for Naruto to open the door.

Not seconds later, the wood swung open to reveal Naruto in a black mesh shirt that seemed to fit I'm perfectly. He heard Naruto say something that sounded like a greeting, but it didn't register. No, Minato was too distracted by how great Naruto looked.

Minato managed a complete once over before his eyes finally landed on Naruto's.

" Uh yeah. Hey. How are you? You look great," Minato said as concretely as possibly. He was trying to keep the awe out of his voice, but was sure that he was failing completely.

Naruto wasn't expecting the reaction that Minato gave him. The older blond simply looked at him, and studied his clothes before his eyes returned to meet my own.

" I am good! I-uh-made some light appetizers for us to snack on since we didn't discuss where were we were going for dinner," he began. " Would you like to come in, instead of standing there and staring at me?" Naruto asked as a wide grin found its way onto his face. He was ecstatic that Minato had actually showed up.

To be honest, Naruto had gotten a little paranoid that Minato would be a no-show. The older teen hadn't exactly been the warmest individual towards him; yet on the other hand, he couldn't say that he was completely cold. That alone was enough to make Naruto question the other blond's intentions, but instead of torturing himself with thoughts, Naruto decided to just let things play out.

At the work "appetizers", Minato instantly went on guard. He knew that this boy wasn't the best cook, so he was hesitant to try what the younger boy had made. Keeping his face schooled, Minato nodded, and walked inside of Naruto's apartment and took his shoes off before following Naruto into the kitchen.

He really hoped that this would go well.

* * *

 **Ah, so there it is. One of my biggest chapters. I really hoped you guys enjoyed it, and are continuing to remain interested in this fic! If you are, please leave a review, or send me a PM for any questions or concerns! I LOVE to hear from you guys!**


	13. The First Supper

**Welcome back everyone! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, because I sure did! XD So from here on out, our favorite blond's will be getting more involved with each other so for those of you who are waiting for smut, you can rest assured that smut is on the way!**

Narration & Dialogue-" Regular Text"

Thoughts-" _Italics"_

Kyuubi-" **Bold Text** "

Once Minato had left his office, Hiruzen was left in a strange position. What was he going to do about Naruto? The thought had tortured him since the boy mysteriously showed up not know anyone, but was still clad in a Konoha head band. From there, things only managed to get worse for Naruto.

When Kushina had reported, in the midst of being distraught, that the Kyuubi sealed within her had somehow gone missing, the entirety of the village had been placed on alert. The team that he had sent out for reconnaissance, and retrieval hadn't reported anything amiss, and they had scoured almost every inch of the Land of Fire.

However, this is what he did have. There was a blond teen that showed up at the start of all these events, the same teen had managed to go through some sort of transformation and rampage in the hospital, his fighting abilities were sufficient enough to take down one of the most promising Chunin in the village, and yet he seemed to be quite reserved when it came to social interactions.

Thinking of the part of Minato's report that focused on Naruto's battle abilities, Hiruzen couldn't help but to be impressed that the boy had managed to master such a high level technique to the extent that he did. As soon as he heard it, Hiruzen had momentarily been taken back to when he was under the tutelage of the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama.

Regarding the missing Kyuubi, everything pointed at young Naruto, but Hiruzen was experienced enough to know that the boy, though seemingly talented, was not of a skill level high enough to extract a tailed beast, and seal it within him quietly. In fact, it was the fact that Kushina had both not sensed the beasts extraction, and also survived said extraction that led Hiruzen to believe that much more was going on here than was being seen.

According to Minato's report, Naruto held no hostility towards the village, and for that Hiruzen could rest assured. The problem still stood that he knew so little about Naruto, that the boy was an enigma within Konoha, and no matter which way you looked at that, it always ended badly. They needed to figure out what exactly what happened the night that they found the boy unconscious in the woods. If they didn't, then the village could be in more danger than ever before.

Taking a long draw of his pipe, Hiruzen turned his chair around so that he could look out at the village where he had been born and raised. Konoha had grown immensely since the last war, and it was his responsibility to ensure the safety of its inhabitants from both foreign poisons, and also internal ones.

Hiruzen had made up his mind.

Naruto was to be summoned, and he was to be interrogated by the Yamanaka clan. They could use their clan abilities to delve into the boys mind and bear witness to the events of that night. On top of that, Naruto would need to hand over any information about the Kyuubi. If what Naruto said was true, and he was completely unaware of the circumstances that led him here, then he would be allowed to call Konoha his home.

If he was lying, then he would be executed on the spot. No questions asked.

The thought of having to do that to little Naruto, really did hurt Hiruzen's heart, as he had managed to get attached to him quite quickly due to the child's exuberant energy, but the fact remained that for a Hokage, the village came first.

Hiruzen thought about the last thing that Minato had told him; that he and Naruto had made dinner plans, and whatnot. If the situation were dire, Hiruzen would have no qualms about having his ANBU agents ruin their evening plans by having them bring Naruto to the interrogation squad. In fact, it _was_ dire, but Hiruzen couldn't bring himself to truly believe that Naruto would pose a threat to the village.

He knew that his predecessors would never agree with his decision, but Hiruzen was going to let the two enjoy their evening. Let them enjoy themselves if only for the rest of the day, because first thing tomorrow morning, Naruto would begin a very intense and thorough questioning.

Hiruzen really hoped, with all his heart, that he wouldn't have to order the execution of a boy. In all of his years, Hiruzen had yet to have give those orders, and if he had to with Naruto-it would most likely be the hardest choice he had ever made. Not because he was referring to Naruto, but because it was shameful to kill a child no matter how you looked at it. After all they were simply easy to manipulation.

That raised another question though. If someone was going to manipulate a child in an attempt to hurt the village, why would they go so far? Or maybe the following question was the one that concerned Hiruzen the most.

" _Who_ would do such a thing?"

* * *

When Minato walked in, Naruto just motioned for him to take his shoes off and follow him into the kitchen. Naruto's excitement must have been obvious because he heard Minato chuckle at him when he tripped over apparently nothing as he crossed into the kitchen to finish setting the table.

" I hope you like spicy edamame, Gyoza, and steamed white rice, because that is what I made hee-hee," Naruto stated with a huge smile on his face.

Minato was admiring the delicious smells that were wafting in from the kitchen when he heard Naruto speaking to him. After joining the shorter blond in the kitchen, Minato couldn't help but to be shocked at the sight. Last time he was here, the kitchen was a total mess, there was trash everywhere, the place smelled like vomit, and Naruto was unconscious.

Now, Minato noticed several things that he couldn't help but to be impressed by. First was Naruto's clothing. Instead of the gross orange jumpsuit that he usually saw the boy in, he was clad in normal blue shinobi pants, and a very, very tight fitting black mesh that hugged the boys developing muscles perfectly. To say that Naruto looked great would be an understatement.

" The place looks nice. This is much better than when I first came here," Minato stated as he sat down at the dining table. It was good to see that Naruto was finally settling into things since his sudden appearance.

Naruto listened to the other blond speak about how nice his place was now that it wasn't trashed, and an even greater smile broke out on his face as he began to bring the dishes to the table.

" Yeah, I guess that tends to happen when you are inspired to keep it clean," Naruto replied as he to sat down at the table across from Minato. He had put all the food on the table, and he had also added a pitcher for water as well. Overall, Naruto was happy with how things had come out, and he hoped that Minato liked it too.

" You ready to dig in?" Naruto asked.

Minato let out a nod, and the two blonds began to help themselves to the meal before them. To start off, Minato went for the steamed white rice first before asking Naruto to pass the Gyoza. Naruto finally passed the edamame to him, and he took a couple spoonfuls before setting the dish to the side.

The two blonds looked at each other and became silent before they both began to dig in. Naruto ate like he had ten stomachs like his normally did, and Minato also ate his fill. By the time they were done, both males had managed to clear off the table of all of the food.

Seeing that Minato had obviously enjoyed his food, Naruto beamed before moving to get up and take the dishes to the sink.

" Let me help you," Minato spoke up when he noticed that Naruto was going to tackle the dishes.

Getting up from his chair, Minato moved to stand to Naruto's left where he picked up the towel that sat there.

" By the way, the food was fantastic. I didn't know you could cook like that, " Minato complimented as Naruto handed him the first dish so he could dry it off.

" I grew up alone so learning how to cook was essential if I wanted to survive," Naruto replied as he blushed at the compliment. He hadn't ever had to cook for Sakura, or Sasuke so he had never been complimented on his cooking before.

Minato nodded along with Naruto's reply. It was a sad thing to have to be alone when you were so young. Minato's parents did a lot for him, and he couldn't imagine not having their support. Looking over to Naruto, Minato noticed a certain sadness that was in the boys eyes. To normal people, it might just come across as a gleam of stress, but Minato knew better. What it was, was _pain_.

" Well hopefully once you're cleared, you won't have to be alone anymore," Minato stated rather factually.

He and Naruto had finally finished the dishes, and had migrate to the living room couch. It was about 9:00pm now, and they two settled down with a nice conversation about the day.

" So where did you learn that multi shadow clone jutsu? That is quite a technique," Minato asked with genuine curiosity.

Naruto took a minute to compose his thoughts before replying. He had to be careful with what he said since nobody seemed to know who he was, or where he came from. As comfortable as he sometimes got, there was alway something that came about to remind him that wherever he was, it was now _his_ Konoha.

" Um, my sensei taught it to me," Naruto began while scratching his head, " He said that it would a great technique for me since I have so much chakra," Naruto elaborated.

Minato listened closely to the younger blond, and noticed that he was being reserved with his answer. It drove him crazy that Naruto was so general about things he asked. It wasn't a response that one gave when they were scared; no it wasn't that. It was more along the lines that Naruto simply didn't want to tell him.

That realization really struck Minato hard. Naruto had yet to even mention his past. He can't imagine that it was a pleasant place if he never spoke of it, but it was also possible that Naruto was quiet about it for completely different reasons.

" Well, you must have had an incredible sensei to have been taught something of that caliber," Minato mentioned with a smile.

At the compliment, Naruto blushed darkly while looking away from the cerulean eyes that were just slightly darker than his own. Minato made him slightly uncomfortable in situations like this, and he didn't know why. It was almost as if the older blond was genuinely curious about his past, but on the other hand the curiosity seemed to be, he didn't know, misplaced?

" Yeah, he was the most amazing man I ever knew, " Naruto replied with a smile wrought with good memories, and bad ones.

Minato noticed that blond seemed to retreat within himself as he brought up his sensei, and instantly regretted the statement. He didn't want to make Naruto miserable by bringing up his past, but the fact of the matter was that he was supposed to do exactly that so he could get information for the Hokage. If he didn't then there was no way that Naruto could be cleared.

It was because of that, that Minato decided to take a bold leap, and try and distract Naruto from his own thoughts.

" So, I have been wondering," Minato began as Naruto stirred and looked up at him.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked; his eyes wide and alert.

" Why did you kiss me?" Minato just threw out there rather bluntly.

The silence in he room was deafening. He didn't know what compelled him to ask _that_ question when he could have literally just thrown in any random question, but now he had to deal with the consequences.

Naruto simply sat in shock at the man's question. Why would he ask him something like that? He thought that they had agreed, via some unspoken exchange, never to talk about that again, and yet here Minato was asking him about it. Naruto was floored to say that least. The reason? It was because he didn't really have an answer. That day, his body just seemed to move on its own, and therefore Naruto didn't have a "reason" for initiating the kiss. It just happened.

Though that was the truth, Naruto did see that Minato was expecting a direct answer, and telling him that he didn't know would just prompt the man to keep asking questions. Naruto didn't want that. Yes, Naruto acknowledged that he had an attraction to Minato, and that was probably why he felt compelled to kiss the man, but he couldn't exactly say that, could he?

Minato surely didn't think of him in that way, so if Naruto were to answer honestly, he might scare the man away for good, and that was the last thing that he wanted to do. Although, on the other hand, if he never told Minato the truth, there was the possibility that his affections would never be returned in the event that Minato _did_ in fact like him back.

So what would Naruto do? Well, that was an easy answer. He would be just as loud, and blunt as he usually was.

" Um, I-I-I kissed you because," Naruto began as he began to play with his pant fabric, " I kissed you because I think I might….like…..you," Minato trailed off.

That wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, but Naruto had yet to look at Minato and see the man's shocked face.

Minato's mind exploded with Naruto's confession. The younger man liked him? He _liked_ him!? Minato almost couldn't believe that words that were coming out of boys mouth, but there he was confession to Minato as nerves wracked his body. Every sign told Minato that Naruto was telling the truth, but that did little to ease the blow that came with the confession.

Minato knew his reaction could be taken the wrong way. After all his eyes had gone wide, and he had leaned back in surprise. It was a natural surprised reaction, but he didn't want Naruto to take it the wrong way. Why? Because Minato couldn't honestly say that he _didn't_ like the younger blond. After all, he had that dream just last night, and Minato knew that people didn't have weird homoerotic dreams about people that they didn't find attractive.

He also knew that in the dream, he had reciprocated the kiss. It was that simple fact that caused Minato so much turmoil. What did it mean? Why did he do it? He had been asking himself all these questions, and right in this moment, he finally found his answer.

" I like you too, " Minato said before he even realized what he was saying.

It just came out as if the words had been trying to escape from his mind forever, and a deep blush set on Minato's cheeks as he instantly looked away from the younger blond. He didn't want to see Naruto's face contort in humor if this was some cruel joke that the blond was playing. He didn't think he could handle continuing this mission if things decided to go awry at this moment.

The silence was utterly palpable. Minato decided to just face the heat, and bring his gaze back up to meet Naruto's. The younger boy's face was still hanging open, and his eyes practically bugging out of his head. Naruto's jaw continued to try to close, but would fall back agape again, and again.

Minato prayed to Kami that the boy would just say something already. This suspense was killing him.

It was then, that Naruto decided to react. As per usual, he didn't answer the older blond orally as that would have been too simple for him.

No, Naruto shot across the space between them, and locked their lips in a fierce kiss. It was heated, and passionate, but this time there was a noticeable lack of teeth, and bloody lips that made the act almost…enjoyable.

The two blonds stayed there, Minato locking Naruto in him embrace, engaging in a series of passionate kisses. They were both inexperienced, so took a while to set a comfortable pace that suited the both of them, but they eventually fell into a slow, yet powerful rhythm that left them both breathless.

Pulling away after the need to breath became too great, Minato sat panting while bringing his gaze to meet Naruto's. While being able to see himself in the younger blonds eyes, Minato noticed that both sets of eyes had lust-filled dilated pupils.

Both sat in silence as they eagerly awaited for the other to say something. Naturally, it did't take Naruto long at all to gather his thoughts, and speak exactly what was on his mind.

" That. Was. AWESOME!" the younger boy rasped out excitedly.

Minato was still trying to catch his breath, but laughed at the boys seemingly endless energy. One could always count on Naruto to keep things interesting, thats for sure.

" Yeah, it was…" 'Minato simply replied before it went silent between both boys once more.

Their gazes were almost teasing, practically daring one another to make the first move. Minato thought that Naruto was going to launch himself at him once more, but was surprised when Naruto stared at him while slowly leaning back and resting his back against the couch.

Minato knew that he should have just followed the boy, but there was something so erotic about this positioning that Minato wanted to just sit and watch the boy forever. Naruto was now resting completely on his back, and had his legs parted so that they could continue their little session comfortably.

Naruto was waiting for him to move, and Minato knew it. He wanted to indulge the boy so badly.

So he did.

Minato wondered why it was suddenly so hot in the room, and decided to remove his vest in a fluid motion before he allowed himself to be situated in between Naruto's legs. Leaning down, he captured the boys plump lips in a searing kiss that lasted for what seemed like forever, and not long enough at the same time.

The blonds enjoyed each others bodies for a while more, before both started to become groggy with exhaustion. It had been a long day, and both needed to get some sleep for the next day.

Their heated make out session had turned into a calm cuddling fest. Naruto was now resting on top of Minato's defined chest while the older blond gently ran his hand up and down Naruto's back. They had stayed like this for quite some time, simply enjoying each others company, and the closeness. It wasn't forced, no uncomfortable. It was _just_ right.

Noticing that Naruto had begun to drift off, Minato began to tap on Naruto's back to gently wake the boy up.

" Naruto," he began in a whisper as the boy began to rouse, " it's getting late, and I should be getting home. You should head to bed too," Minato finished with a smile tugging at his lips.

Naruto groaned as he got up, finally removing himself from the heat that had kept him nice and cozy for the past hour and a half. Throwing his legs over the couch, the younger blond moved over to where Minato's sandals were, and waited for the man to meet him at the door.

Minato got up lazily, and sauntered over to Naruto so that he could put his sandals on. Once the shoes were snug on his feet, Minato rose to his full height, and looked down at the sleepy blond.

Scratching his cheek, Minato instantly began to feel nerves set in.

" Um, thank you for dinner. it was really nice," he managed to get out. He thought that was a good enough compliment to keep things from getting too heated.

Naruto merely smiled at the older mans words before he walked over, and pulled Minato down to meet his lips in a quick kiss before he released the man.

" It was my pleasure. We'll have to do it again," Naruto replied with a slight smirk settling on his tired face.

Minato was pleasantly surprised by the kiss, but reciprocated it nonetheless.

Walking over to Naruto's front door, Minato opened it, and turned to look at the younger boy one last time before he left.

" Goodnight Naruto," he said before turning around, and leaving Naruto alone his apartment once more.

* * *

At the close of his door, Naruto smiled while exhaling in exhaustion. This day had been on of immense stress, but he was happy with the overall result. The food had come out great, and Naruto was glad that Minato liked it. They had an interesting conversation that led to an even more interested turn of events, but Naruto couldn't help but to be satisfied with the date as a whole.

He knew that by inviting that intimate physicality into whatever they were, it would only make things more complicated from here on out. What were they to each other? Were they boyfriends? Was there even a term for what they were?

Naruto rubbed his eyes, and decided that he would worry about it later.

After he had finished his nighttime routine, Naruto climbed into his bed, and fell asleep to dreams of ramen, and a certain older blond.

* * *

Minato had decided that he would walk home instead of taking to the rooftops. He just needed a little time to think about the events of the evening.

He was currently walking down a merchant street, when loud voice brought him out of his thoughts. Looking in front of him, Minato was able to see a rather excited redhead running his way.

" Oh. Hey Kushina, what's up?" Minato asked while wondering why she looked flustered.

The redhead took a minute to catch her breath before shooting Minato a grin.

" I just wanted to say hi! I haven't seen you around in a while, and was wondering if you wanted to get some ramen with me?" she asked as a blush crept onto her face.

Minato was taken aback by the forwardness of her question, but instantly began to feel bad. He kind of wanted to just go home, and relax after his day.

" Um, Kushina I'm sorry but I am not feeling ramen tonight. Maybe some other time, okay?" He asked without waiting for a response, and continuing his walk home.

Kushina stood there in shock. Minato had never shot her down for ramen before. Ever. She continued to watch the blond man get farther, and farther away, until his disappeared into the evening crowds. She knew that something was wrong with the man, but right now Kushina had a bigger problem.

She was starving!

" Ramen! Here I come!" she yelled to the world with a fist pump before sprinting her way to Ichiraku's for what would be a feast to come.

* * *

Minato had brushed his teeth, and was now lying in bed. Today's events had definitely complicated some things, but he knew one thing for sure.

 _He_ liked Naruto, and _Naruto_ liked him.

That in itself was enough to comfort his racing mind, and allow him to fall into a blissful sleep.

* * *

 **That's it for today my fellow MInaNaru lovers! *sobs* But anyway! I just wanted to inform you guys that things will get a bit dark for a little while, before they get better so here's your warning! If you liked the chapter, please leave a review, or feel free to send me a PM with any questions! Love you guys, and thank you so much for all your support!**


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